Shloka 53
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
निकृत्तकूबरयुगान् भग्नेषाबन्धुरान् प्रभो | पश्य पार्थ हयान् भूमौ विमानोपमदर्शनान्,प्रभो! इन रथोंके कूबर और जुए खण्डित हो गये हैं। ईषादण्ड टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये गये हैं और इनकी बन्धन-रज्जुओंकी भी धज्जियाँ उड़ गयी हैं। पार्थ! भूमिपर पड़े हुए इन घोड़ोंको तो देखो, ये विमानके समान दिखायी दे रहे हैं
nikṛttakūbarayugān bhagneṣābandhurān prabho | paśya pārtha hayān bhūmau vimānopamadārśanān ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O lord, look, Pārtha—these horses lie on the ground. The chariot-poles and yokes have been cut away; the shafts are shattered, and even the binding reins have been torn to tatters. See how these fallen steeds, in their form and presence, appear like aerial cars.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark reality of war: even the finest instruments of power—chariots and horses—are reduced to ruin. Kṛṣṇa’s pointing-out functions as sober guidance, urging clear-sightedness and steadiness in duty amid destruction, without romanticizing violence.
On the battlefield, Kṛṣṇa draws Arjuna’s attention to the aftermath of intense fighting: chariots have been disabled (poles and yokes severed, shafts broken, harness torn), and horses lie fallen on the ground, their striking forms compared poetically to celestial vehicles.