Shloka 31
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
विचित्रमणिचित्रांश्व जातरूपपरिष्कृतान् । अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान् राड़कवान् पतितान् भुवि,“विचित्र मणियोंसे जटित और सोनेके तारोंसे विभूषित रंकुमृगके चमड़ेके बने हुए, घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले बहुत-से झूल भूमिपर पड़े हैं
vicitramaṇicitrāṃśva jātārūpapariṣkṛtān | aśvāstaraparistomān rāḍakāvān patitān bhuvi ||
Sañjaya said: “On the ground lay many horse-coverings—saddle-cloths meant to be spread upon the backs of steeds—woven with variegated gems and adorned with threads of gold, fashioned from the hide of the ruru-deer. Thus the battlefield displayed the ruin of royal splendor, where costly ornaments and comforts had fallen with their owners.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly magnificence: even the most luxurious royal accoutrements—gold-embroidered, gem-studded coverings—end up scattered on the ground in war, reminding the listener that pride in wealth and display is unstable before death and violence.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, noting that many ornate saddle-cloths and horse-coverings, made of fine deer-hide and decorated with gems and gold, are lying fallen on the earth—evidence of the chaos and losses among warriors and their mounts.