Shloka 356
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
शरीराणि व्यदृश्यन्त निहतानां महीतले । वहाँ मारे गये राजाओंके सुन्दर हारोंसे सुशोभित, उत्तम वस्त्रोंसे सम्पन्न तथा चन्दनसे चर्चित शरीर पृथ्वीपर पड़े देखे जाते थे
śarīrāṇi vyadṛśyanta nihatānāṁ mahītale |
Dijo Sañjaya: Sobre la faz de la tierra se veían los cuerpos de los caídos—tendidos en el campo de batalla, aún adornados con finas guirnaldas y joyas, vestidos con excelentes ropajes y ungidos con pasta de sándalo. La visión subraya la trágica ironía de la guerra: el esplendor real y el refinamiento mundano no pueden amparar a nadie de la muerte, y el campo del dharma se vuelve testigo severo de la impermanencia del poder y del orgullo.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly glory: even kings adorned with luxury fall to death. Ethically, it invites reflection on pride, attachment, and the grave cost of war, reminding the listener that dharma must be weighed against the suffering it entails.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he sees on the battlefield: the slain lie on the earth, still bearing signs of royal refinement—ornaments, fine clothing, and sandalwood—now rendered powerless in death.