Shloka 52
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
गन्धर्वनगराकारान् रथांश्व निहतेश्वरान् । छिन्नध्वजपताकाक्षान् विचक्रान् हतसारथीन्,सोनेके जीन एवं साज-बाजसे विभूषित इन घोड़ोंको तो देखो, ये भी प्राणशून्य होकर पड़े हैं। ये रथ जिनके स्वामी मारे गये हैं, गन्धर्वनगरके समान दिखायी देते हैं। इनकी ध्वजा, पताका और धुरे छिन्न-भिन्न हो गये हैं, पहिये नष्ट हो चुके हैं और सारथि भी मार डाले गये हैं
gandharvanagarākārān rathāśvān nihatēśvarān | chinnadhvajapatākākṣān vicakrān hatasārathīn ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “Behold these chariots and horses—now like the illusory splendor of a Gandharva-city—whose masters have been slain. Their banners and pennons are torn away, their axles are shattered, their wheels destroyed, and their charioteers killed. Thus the proud instruments of war, once richly adorned, lie lifeless, exposing the fragility of martial glory and the terrible cost of violence.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the mirage-like nature of martial magnificence: chariots once splendid and powerful become lifeless wrecks in an instant. It invites ethical reflection on the cost of war and the impermanence of worldly display, even when undertaken under the banner of duty.
Kṛṣṇa points out the battlefield scene: chariots and horses lie fallen; their owners (warriors) are dead; banners and pennons are severed; axles and wheels are broken; charioteers are slain. The imagery likens the ruined war-machines to a ‘Gandharva-city’—beautiful in appearance yet insubstantial and doomed.