Shloka 4763
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान् राड़कवान् पतितान् भुवि । 'घुड़सवारोंकी ध्वजाओंके अग्रभागमें हाथियोंके सुनहरे कंबल उलझ गये हैं। घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले विचित्र
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvāstara-paristomān rāḍakavān patitān bhuvi |
Sañjaya dit : «Regardez—à terre gisent les riches harnachements des chevaux et des mulets, les somptueuses housses et parures qui les ornaient jadis. Dans le tumulte du combat, l’orgueilleux déploiement des étendards et les caparaçons coûteux se sont emmêlés puis abattus, montrant combien vite la pompe guerrière s’effondre en ruine lorsque la violence submerge l’ordre.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: even the most ornate signs of power—banners, caparisons, and costly gear—are reduced to debris on the battlefield, reminding the listener that pride and display cannot withstand the consequences of violence and fate.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the दृश्य of the battlefield: animal coverings and rich trappings (for horses and related mounts) have fallen to the ground amid the fighting, conveying the scale of disorder and devastation.