Shloka 35
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
शीर्षोपलसमाकीर्णा हस्तिग्राहसमाकुला । कवचोष्णीषफेनौघा धरनुर्वेगासिकच्छपा,कटे हुए मस्तक पत्थरोंके टुकड़ोंके समान बिखरे थे। हाथी ही उसमें विशाल ग्राहके समान जान पड़ते थे, कवच और पगड़ी फेनराशिके समान थे, धनुष ही उसका वेगयुक्त प्रवाह और खड्ग ही वहाँ कच्छपके समान प्रतीत होते थे
sañjaya uvāca |
śīrṣopalasa-mākīrṇā hastigrāha-samākulā |
kavacoṣṇīṣa-phenaughā dhanu-rvega-āsikacchapā ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «El campo de batalla parecía un río desbordado: las cabezas cercenadas yacían esparcidas como piedras; los elefantes se apiñaban como enormes cocodrilos; las corazas y los turbantes se alzaban como montones de espuma; los arcos formaban su corriente veloz, y las espadas parecían tortugas moviéndose en su interior.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not give a direct moral injunction; instead it teaches through stark imagery: war, even when framed as kṣatriya duty, becomes a consuming flood that reduces persons and symbols of honor (armor, turbans) to debris. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sañjaya is narrating the Kurukṣetra battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Here he depicts the battlefield as a torrent-like scene: severed heads lie scattered like stones; elephants appear like crocodiles; armor and turbans resemble foam; bows are the rushing current; and swords move like turtles—conveying the chaos and ferocity of the fighting.