Shloka 25
Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ
Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa
पतितैरपविद्धैश्न विबभौ द्यौरिव ग्रहै: । माननीय भरतनन्दन! इधर-उधर पड़े हुए सोनेके अंगद, हार, कुण्डल, मुकुट, वलय, अंगूठी, चूड़ामणि, उष्णीष, सुवर्णमय सूत्र, कवच, दस्ताने, हार, निष्क, वस्त्र, छत्र, टूटे हुए चँवर, व्यजन, विदीर्ण हुए हाथी, घोड़े, मनुष्य, खूनसे लथपथ हुए पंखयुक्त बाण आदि नाना प्रकारकी छिन्न-भिन्न, पतित और फेंकी हुई वस्तुओंसे वहाँकी भूमि ग्रहोंसे आकाशकी भाँति सुशोभित हो रही थी | २१--२४ $ ।। अचिन्त्यमद्भुतं चैव तयो: कर्मातिमानुषम्
patitair apaviddhaiś ca na vibabhau dyaur iva grahaiḥ | mānanīya bharatanandana! idhar-udhar paḍe hue sone ke aṅgada, hāra, kuṇḍala, mukuṭa, valaya, aṅguṣṭhī, cūḍāmaṇi, uṣṇīṣa, suvarṇamaya sūtra, kavaca, dastāne, hāra, niṣka, vastra, chatra, ṭūṭe hue cāmara, vyajana, vidīrṇa hue hāthī, ghoṛe, manuṣya, khūn se lathapath hue paṅkha-yukta bāṇa ādi nānā-prakāra kī chinna-bhinna, patita aur pheṅkī huī vastuoṃ se vahāṃ kī bhūmi grahoṃ se ākāśa kī bhānti suśobhita ho rahī thī || 21–24 || acintyam adbhutaṃ caiva tayoḥ karmātimānuṣam
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai keturunan Bharata yang mulia, tanah di sana—dipenuhi benda-benda yang jatuh dan terlempar ke segala arah—berkilau laksana langit berhias planet. Gelang lengan emas, kalung, anting, mahkota, gelang, cincin, permata puncak, serban, tali emas, zirah, sarung tangan, nishka, kain, payung kebesaran, kipas ekor-yak dan kipas tangan yang patah; juga gajah, kuda, dan manusia yang hancur, serta anak panah berbulu yang berlumur darah—oleh aneka benda yang koyak, jatuh, dan terbuang itu medan perang tampak ganjil namun gemerlap. Dan sungguh, perbuatan kedua kesatria itu tak terpikirkan, menakjubkan, melampaui ukuran manusia.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the paradox of war: objects of royal splendor and human bodies alike become ‘fallen and cast away.’ The simile—earth shining like the sky with planets—highlights how violence can produce a terrible, aestheticized spectacle, inviting reflection on impermanence and the ethical cost of glory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the state of the battlefield: it is littered with broken weapons, bloodied arrows, dead and wounded men and animals, and scattered royal ornaments and insignia. He then remarks that the actions of ‘those two’ combatants were astonishing and superhuman, setting up praise of extraordinary martial feats.