Shloka 31
भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः
The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat
आर्य! भरतनन्दन! भूपाल! उस रणभूमिमें गिरे हुए उद्दधीप्त परिघ, मुदगर, प्रास, भिन्दिपाल, खड़्ग, फरसे, तीखे तोमर, सुवर्णमय कवच, ध्वज, ढाल, सोनेके डंडोंसे विभूषित छत्र, व्यजन, चाबुक, जोते, कोड़े और अंकुश ढेर-के-ढेर बिखरे दिखायी देते थे
sañjaya uvāca — ārya! bharatanandana! bhūpāla! tasmin raṇabhūmau patitāni uddīptaparigha-mudgara-prāsa-bhindipāla-khaḍga-paraśu-tīkṣṇa-tomara-svarṇamaya-kavaca-dhvaja-ḍhāla-svarṇadaṇḍa-vibhūṣita-chattra-vyajana-cābuka-yuga-koḍa-aṅkuśāḥ śastrāṇi ca bahudhā rāśi-rāśi vikirṇāni dṛśyante sma.
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai mulia, wahai keturunan Bharata, wahai raja! Di medan itu tampak bertumpuk-tumpuk senjata dan perlengkapan kebesaran yang jatuh—gada besi menyala, mudgara, tombak, bhindipāla, pedang, kapak, tomara yang tajam, zirah emas, panji, perisai, payung kebesaran bertangkai emas, kipas, cambuk, kuk, tali cemeti, dan penggiring (goad)—berserakan di segala penjuru.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the aftermath of battle: instruments of power and royal splendor—weapons, armor, banners, parasols—lie fallen and scattered. It implicitly points to the impermanence of worldly glory and the heavy cost of kṣatriya warfare, inviting reflection on dharma amid violence.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he ‘sees’ on the battlefield: heaps of dropped weapons and royal equipment strewn across the ground, conveying the scale and intensity of the fighting.