Shloka 19
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
तत्र तत्रापविद्धैश्व बाहुभि श्रन्दनोक्षितै: । ऊरुभि क्षु नरेन्द्राणां समास्तीर्यत मेदिनी
sañjaya uvāca | tatra tatrāpaviddhaiś ca bāhubhiś candanokṣitaiḥ | ūrubhiś ca narendrāṇāṃ samāstīryata medinī || ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarcat kaṅkabārhiṇavājitaiḥ |
Sañjaya dit : Dans cette bataille, la terre fut jonchée çà et là de bras et de cuisses de rois tranchés—des bras enduits de pâte de santal—si bien que le champ de guerre semblait tapissé de membres royaux abattus. Et il frappa chaque guerrier de trois flèches, empennées de plumes de vautour, leur infligeant une douleur cuisante et révélant l’éthique sombre et implacable de la guerre des kṣatriya, où la prouesse se prouve au milieu d’une vaste dévastation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of kṣatriya-dharma in war: valor and duty are pursued amid devastating loss, reminding the listener of the impermanence of bodily glory and the moral weight of violence even when sanctioned by duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield littered with the severed, sandal-anointed limbs of fallen kings, and notes that a warrior is striking each opponent with three vulture-feathered arrows, intensifying the carnage and pressure of the fight.