Shloka 51
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
सुवर्णविकृतप्रासान् पट्टिशान् हेमभूषितान् । जातरूपमयारश्षष्टी: शक्तीक्ष कनकोज्ज्वला:
sañjaya uvāca | suvarṇa-vikṛta-prāsān paṭṭiśān hema-bhūṣitān | jātarūpa-mayā ṛṣṭīḥ śaktīś ca kanakojjvalāḥ yatra-tatra paṭitā āsan |
Sañjaya dit : «Çà et là gisaient, éparses, des lances façonnées d’or, des haches ornées d’or, des piques de fin or, et des javelots éclatants d’une lueur dorée.» La scène souligne la terrible splendeur de la guerre : richesse et savoir-faire, faits pour l’honneur et l’apparat, deviennent des instruments de mort et restent jonchés sur le champ de bataille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim irony of war: even the finest wealth and artistry (gold-adorned weapons) culminate in destruction and are left scattered. It implicitly points to the transience of material splendor and the heavy moral cost of violence.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene, describing how gold-worked and gold-decorated weapons—spears, axes, lances, and javelins—are lying fallen in many places after intense fighting.