Shloka 25
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
चर्मभिक्षामरैश्षित्रै: पताकाभिक्न मारिष | छत्रै: सितैहेमदण्डैश्वामरैश्व समनन्तत:
carma-bhikṣāmaraiś citraiḥ patākābhikhnā māriṣa | chatraiḥ sitaiḥ hema-daṇḍaiś cāmaraiś ca samanantataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Baginda yang mulia, di segala penjuru berserakan perisai, cāmarā yang beraneka, dan panji-panji yang koyak; di sana pun tergeletak payung putih bertangkai emas serta cāmarā upacara. Melintasi kemegahan perang yang tercerai-berai itu, gajah-gajah—laksana gumpalan awan baru—berlari ke segala arah sambil mengaum mengerikan seperti guruh.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: the very emblems of sovereignty—parasols, banners, and fly-whisks—lie scattered on the battlefield, suggesting that power and prestige collapse under the force of adharma-driven conflict and the inevitability of war’s devastation.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: shields and royal insignia are strewn everywhere, while elephants—compared to newly formed thunderclouds—rush about in all directions with terrifying roars, intensifying the sense of chaos after fierce fighting.