Shloka 72
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
सादिनां भुजगैश्छिन्नै: पतितै: साड्रदैस्तथा । प्रासैश्न विमलैस्तीक्ष्णै्विमलाभिस्तथर्डिभि:
sa-ādīnāṁ bhujagaiś chinnaiḥ patitaiḥ sādradaiḥ tathā | prāsaiś ca vimalais tīkṣṇair vimalābhis tathā ṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
संजय बोले—घुड़सवारों की भुजाएँ, मानो सर्पों ने काट दी हों, कटकर बाजूबंदों सहित गिर पड़ी थीं; और निर्मल, तीक्ष्ण प्रास तथा चमकीली ऋष्टियाँ भी सर्वत्र बिखरी पड़ी थीं।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark impermanence of bodily power and martial display: in war, even the finest weapons and the strongest arms quickly become broken remnants. Ethically, it functions as a sobering reminder that violence reduces human agency to scattered fragments, urging reflection on the cost of conflict even within kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene: severed arms of mounted warriors and bright, sharp lances and spears lie strewn about. The imagery conveys the intensity of the fighting and the widespread destruction of men and equipment.