Shloka 21
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
हयाश्न निहता बाणैहेमभाण्डविभूषिता: । निषेदुश्चैव मम्लुश्न बश्रमुश्न दिशो दश,सोनेके आभूषणोंसे विभूषित बहुसंख्यक घोड़े बाणोंद्वारा घायल होकर बैठ जाते, मलिन हो जाते और दसों दिशाओंमें भागने लगते थे
hayāś ca nihatā bāṇair hemabhāṇḍa-vibhūṣitāḥ | niṣeduś caiva mamluś ca bhraṃśamuś ca diśo daśa ||
Sañjaya berkata: Banyak kuda, berhias perlengkapan emas, dihantam anak panah hingga tumbang. Terluka, mereka merosot ke tanah, menjadi kotor dan lemah, lalu tercerai-berai dalam panik—lari ke segala sepuluh penjuru.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate suffering caused by war: even magnificent, well-equipped creatures collapse and scatter in fear. It implicitly cautions that martial glory is fragile and that violence rapidly reduces splendor to helplessness.
Sañjaya describes battlefield chaos: numerous horses adorned with gold are hit by arrows, collapse or become weakened and dirty, and then flee in all directions, conveying the intensity and confusion of the fighting.