Shloka 9
यशस्विभिरनागरथाश्व॒योधिभि: पदातिभि श्चाभिमुखैह्तै: परै: । विशीर्णवर्माभरणाम्बरायुधै- ता प्रशान्तैरिव तावकैर्मही,हाथी, रथ और घोड़ोंपर सवार होकर युद्ध करनेवाले यशस्वी योद्धा और पैदल वीर सामने लड़ते हुए शत्रुओंके हाथसे मारे गये हैं। उनके कवच, आभूषण, वस्त्र और आयुध सभी छित्न-भिन्न होकर बिखर गये हैं। इस प्रकार शान्त पड़े हुए आपके प्राणहीन योद्धाओंसे यह पृथ्वी पट गयी है
yaśasvibhir anāgārathāśvayodhibhiḥ padātibhiś cābhimukhaiḥ hataiḥ paraiḥ | viśīrṇavarmābharaṇāmbarāyudhaiḥ tāḥ praśāntair iva tāvakair mahī ||
Śalya said: “Your renowned warriors—fighters on elephants, chariots, and horses, as well as foot-soldiers—have been struck down by the enemy while facing them in battle. Their armor, ornaments, garments, and weapons lie shattered and scattered. Thus the earth is covered, as though stilled into silence, by your lifeless troops.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark impermanence of martial glory: even celebrated warriors end as silent bodies on the earth, with their splendid armor and weapons reduced to debris. It invites ethical reflection on the cost of war and the fragility of worldly honor.
Śalya addresses the Kaurava side, describing the battlefield aftermath: Kaurava fighters—mounted and on foot—have been killed while confronting the enemy, and the ground is strewn with their broken equipment and lifeless bodies.