Shloka 27
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
रथिनां च महाशड्खान् पाण्डुरांश्व प्रकीर्णकान् | “अनुकर्ष, उपासंग, पताका, नाना प्रकारके ध्वज तथा रथियोंके बड़े-बड़े श्वेत शंख बिखरे पड़े हैं ।। निरस्तजिद्दान् मातड़ान् शयानान् पर्वतोपमान्
rathināṃ ca mahāśaṅkhān pāṇḍurāṃś ca prakīrṇakān | anukarṣa upāsaṅga patākā nānāprakārakā dhvajā tathā rathīnāṃ baḍe-baḍe śvetaśaṅkhā bikhare paṛe haiṃ || nirastajiddān mātaḍān śayānān parvatopamān ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Por doquier yacían esparcidas las grandes caracolas de los guerreros de carro, pálidas y blancas, junto con los arreos —riendas, correas y tirantes—, además de pendones y estandartes de muchas clases. Y allí también se veían, derribados e inmóviles, cuerpos enormes como montañas.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of martial glory: the very emblems of pride—conches, banners, standards—lie scattered, and mighty bodies fall like mountains. It implicitly cautions against attachment to power and victory, highlighting the ethical weight and consequences of war.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: chariot-warriors’ equipment and insignia are strewn across the ground, and large fallen bodies lie motionless. The scene conveys the scale of devastation during the fighting in Karṇa Parva.