Shloka 56
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
संतस्तार क्षितिं क्षिप्रं विनालैनलिनैरिव । धनंजयने अपने तीखे भल्लोंसे वीरोंके सुन्दर नेत्र
sañjaya uvāca | saṃtastāra kṣitiṃ kṣipraṃ vinālainalinair iva | dhanañjayena apane tīkṣṇaiḥ bhallaiḥ vīrāṇāṃ sundara-netra-bhrū-danta-śobhitān pūrṇa-candramā-samaṃ manohara-mukhavālīn mastakān chittvā-chittvā tatraiva bhūmiṃ kṣaṇena pātayām āsa, yathā tatra vināla-kamalāni bistaritāni syuḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), de ses flèches bhalla tranchantes comme des rasoirs, trancha promptement, encore et encore, les têtes des guerriers—têtes ornées de beaux yeux, de sourcils et de dents, aux visages charmants tels la pleine lune—et, en un instant, il tapissa le sol de ce lieu, comme si la terre eût été jonchée de lotus sans tige.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of righteous warfare: a kṣatriya’s duty may demand decisive force, yet the poetic imagery also makes the human cost unmistakable, inviting reflection on dharma performed amid tragic consequences.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s battlefield feat: with sharp bhalla arrows he repeatedly beheads opposing warriors, so that the ground appears covered with severed heads, compared to a spread of stemless lotuses.