Shloka 10
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake
प्रजानाथ! बाणोंसे ढके हुए भागते घोड़ोंने, जो बहुत-से मरे हुए वीरोंको अपने साथ इधर-उधर खींचे लिये जाते थे, यत्र-तत्र जानेका मार्ग अवरुद्ध कर दिया ।।
sañjaya uvāca | prajānātha! bāṇaiḥ saṃchannā dhāvantaḥ hayā bahūn nihatān vīrān sahaiva itastataḥ kṛṣyamāṇāḥ yatratatra gati-mārgaṃ ruddhvā tiṣṭhanti sma || nihatānāṃ hayānāṃ ca sahaiva hayasādibhiḥ | varma-bhir vinikṛttaiś ca prāsaiś chinnaiś ca māriṣa, mānyavara nareśa! ṛṣṭi-śakti-khaḍga-bhāla-paraśubhiś ca pṛthivī bahuvarṇaiḥ phalaiḥ iva ācchāditā citrāṅgīva pratibhāti sma ||
Sañjaya said: O lord of the people! Horses, covered with arrows and fleeing in panic, dragged along many fallen heroes, and in doing so they choked the paths in every direction. And, O revered king, the earth was strewn with the bodies of slain horses together with their riders, with severed coats of mail, and with broken spears—along with lances, javelins, swords, darts, and axes—so that the battlefield looked mottled and variegated, as though covered with many-colored fruits.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and human cost of war: valor and weaponry culminate in devastation, and the battlefield becomes a testimony to impermanence and the breakdown of order (mārga-ruddhi—paths blocked), inviting reflection on the ethical weight of violence even within kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where arrow-pierced, fleeing horses drag fallen warriors, blocking routes. The ground is littered with dead horses and riders, severed armor, and shattered weapons, making the earth appear variegated like it is covered with many-colored fruits.