Shloka 35
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
शीर्षोपलसमाकीर्णा हस्तिग्राहसमाकुला । कवचोष्णीषफेनौघा धरनुर्वेगासिकच्छपा
sañjaya uvāca |
śīrṣopalasa-mākīrṇā hastigrāha-samākulā |
kavacoṣṇīṣa-phenaughā dhanu-rvega-āsikacchapā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Le champ de bataille ressemblait à un fleuve en crue : des têtes tranchées y étaient éparses comme des pierres; les éléphants s’y pressaient tels de puissants crocodiles; cuirasses et turbans s’y dressaient comme des amas d’écume; les arcs en faisaient le courant impétueux, et les épées semblaient des tortues qui s’y meuvent.»
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.