Shloka 39
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
तत्र तत्राभ्यवेक्षाम संघान् कर्णेन ताडितान् । कर्णके बाणोंकी चोट खाकर मरनेवाले घोड़ों, हाथियों और रथियोंके झुंड-के-झुंड हमने वहाँ देखे थे ।। शिरोभि: पतितै राजन् बाहुभिश्न समन्ततः
tatra tatrābhyavekṣāma saṅghān karṇena tāḍitān | karṇake bāṇānāṃ coṭaṃ khātvā marṇavāle ghoḍe, hāthī aur rathiyoṃ ke jhuṇḍa-ke-jhuṇḍa hamne vahāṃ dekhe the || śirobhiḥ patitai rājān bāhubhiś ca samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There and again there we beheld whole masses of warriors struck down by Karna. In that place we saw, in great clusters, horses, elephants, and chariot-fighters dying from the blows of Karna’s arrows—while all around, O King, the ground was strewn with fallen heads and severed arms.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical weight of war: even when performed under kṣatriya-duty, violence yields widespread suffering and bodily destruction, reminding the listener of impermanence and the heavy consequences of martial prowess.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he ‘sees’ on the battlefield: Karna’s arrows have devastated formations, leaving heaps of dying horses, elephants, and chariot-fighters, with severed heads and arms scattered all around.