Shloka 29
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
सचापा: साड्गुलित्राणा: सखड्गा: साड्रदा रणे | अदृश्यन्त भूजाश्छिन्ना हेमाभरणभूषिता:,वीरोंकी कटी हुई स्वर्णमय आभूषणोंसे विभूषित भुजाएँ धनुष, दस्ताने, तलवार और भुजबन्दोंसहित कटकर रणभूमिमें पड़ी दिखायी देती थीं
sa-cāpāḥ sāṅgulitrāṇāḥ sa-khaḍgāḥ sāṅgadā raṇe | adṛśyanta bhujāś chinnā hemābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: On the battlefield were seen severed arms—still adorned with golden ornaments—fallen along with their bows, finger-guards, swords, and armlets. The scene underscored the grim impartiality of war: when dharma collapses into slaughter, valor and wealth alike are reduced to lifeless remnants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark cost of war: even heroic, ornamented bodies are reduced to severed limbs and discarded weapons. It implicitly warns that when conflict overwhelms dharma, worldly splendor and martial pride offer no protection from suffering and death.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: arms cut off in combat lie scattered, still bearing gold ornaments and still holding or accompanied by bows, finger-guards, swords, and armlets—vivid imagery conveying the intensity of the fighting.