Shloka 5
चारूपचितसर्वःा्िं स्वक्षं शस्त्रक्षताचितम् | भूतानि त्वां निरीक्षन्ते नूनं चन्द्रमिवोदितम्,“बेटा! तुम शूरवीर थे। युद्धसे कभी पीछे पैर नहीं हटाते थे। मस्तक, ग्रीवा, बाहु और कंधे आदि तुम्हारे सभी अंग सुन्दर थे, छाती चौड़ी थी, उदर एवं नाभिदेश नीचा था, समस्त अंग मनोहर और हृष्ट-पुष्ट थे। सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रियाँ विशेषतः नेत्र बड़े सुन्दर थे तथा तुम्हारे सारे अंग शस्त्रजनित आघातसे व्याप्त थे। इस दशामें तुम धरतीपर पड़े होगे और निश्चय ही समस्त प्राणी उदय होते हुए चन्द्रमाके समान तुम्हें देख रहे होंगे
cārūpacita-sarvāṅgaṁ suvaktraṁ śastra-kṣatācitam | bhūtāni tvāṁ nirīkṣante nūnaṁ candram ivoditam ||
Sañjaya said: “Your whole body was beautifully proportioned, your face handsome, yet now it is covered with wounds made by weapons. Surely all creatures are looking upon you, as they would gaze at the moon newly risen.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension in war: even a heroic, well-formed body becomes vulnerable and transient. The moon-simile heightens compassion and reminds the listener that martial glory is inseparable from suffering and impermanence.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the sight of a warrior—once splendid in form—now lying wounded by weapons. He says that all beings look upon him as they would a newly risen moon, emphasizing both the striking appearance and the tragic reversal brought by battle.