Shloka 5
Karṇa–Sūrya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dāna, and the Amoghā Śakti (कर्ण–सूर्यसंवादः)
मुसलालातनाराचतोमरासिपर श्वथैः । अन्विताश्न शतघ्नीभि: समधूच्छिष्टमुद्गरा:,मुसल, अलात (बनैठी), बाण, तोमर, तलवार, फरसे, मोमके मुद्गर तथा तोप आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके संग्रहके कारण भी वे खाइयाँ दुर्लघ्य थीं
musalālātanārācatomarāsiparaśvathaiḥ | anvitāś ca śataghnībhiḥ samadhūcchiṣṭamudgarāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya dijo: «Aquellas trincheras eran difíciles de cruzar, pues estaban provistas de depósitos de armas: mazas y teas encendidas, flechas de hierro, jabalinas, espadas y hachas; además de śataghnīs y pesadas macanas, algunas aún manchadas de humo y restos de combustión. Así, por la abundancia misma de armamento allí dispuesto, el avance se volvía peligroso y casi imposible».
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the accumulation and readiness of weapons intensify danger and make even physical spaces (like trenches) morally and practically fraught—illustrating the escalatory nature of violence and the harsh realities of martial preparedness within kṣatriya contexts.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes defensive trenches that are difficult to cross because they are stocked with many kinds of weapons—clubs, firebrands, iron arrows, javelins, swords, axes, śataghnīs, and heavy maces—implying a fortified, warlike setting and imminent conflict.