Shloka 63
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
उरश्छदैरवियुक्तांश्व॒ वालबन्धैश्व वाजिन: । राजतैश्न तथा कांस्यै: सौवर्णश्वैव भूषणै:
uraśchadair aviyuktāṁś ca vālābandhaiś ca vājinaḥ | rajataiś ca tathā kāṁsyaiḥ sauvarṇaiś caiva bhūṣaṇaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: We saw many fine horses wandering in confusion on the battlefield—still bearing their chest-guards and their mane-bands, yet with their silver, bronze, and golden ornaments shattered and ruined. Their harness and trappings had been thrown into disarray, and the proud order of war had collapsed into wreckage, leaving the steeds to drift aimlessly amid the devastation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor in war: even the finest steeds and their costly adornments are reduced to ruin. It evokes the ethical weight of battle—how violence dismantles order, beauty, and life, leaving confusion and loss in its wake.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he has seen: many excellent horses, their protective gear and decorative bands still present in part, but their precious metal ornaments damaged and their equipment in disarray, roaming bewildered on the battlefield after the collapse of their riders’ formations.