Shloka 373
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
बश्रमुस्तत्र तत्रैव गाव: शीतार्दिता इव | तत्पश्चात् कर्णके बाणोंसे पीड़ित और व्याकुल हुए राजालोग सर्दीसे कष्ट पानेवाली गायोंके समान इधर-उधर चक्कर काटने लगे
babhramuḥ tatra tatraiva gāvaḥ śītārditā iva | tatpaścāt karṇake bāṇaiḥ pīḍitā vyākulāś ca rājānaḥ śītaduḥkhitā gāva iva itaraḥ itaraṃ paribabhramuḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Di sana juga mereka berkeliaran seperti kawanan sapi yang tersiksa oleh dingin. Sesudah itu para raja—tertikam panah-panah Karṇa dan dilanda kegelisahan—terhuyung dan berputar-putar dalam kekacauan, laksana sapi yang menderita kedinginan, digerakkan semata oleh rasa sakit dan panik di tengah himpitan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violence in war produces immediate moral and psychological consequences: even mighty kings lose composure under pain and fear. The simile of winter-stricken cattle underscores vulnerability and the dehumanizing disorientation that battle inflicts, reminding the listener that power and status do not shield one from suffering.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after Karṇa’s arrow-shower: the kings, wounded and shaken, move about aimlessly and in distress. Their confused circling is compared to cows tormented by cold, conveying both physical agony and panic-driven disorder in the ranks.