Shloka 13
कर्ण और अर्जुनके हाथोंसे छूटे हुए बाण हाथी, घोड़े और मनुष्योंके शरीरोंको विदीर्ण करके उनके प्राण निकालकर तुरंत पृथ्वीमें घुस गये थे, मानो अत्यन्त लाल रंगके विशाल सर्प अपनी बिलमें जा घुसे हों ।।
hatair manuṣyāśvagajaiś ca saṅkhye śarāpaviddhaiś ca rathaiḥ narendra | dhanañjayasya adhirathasya mārgaṇair agamyarūpā vasudhā babhūva, narendra ||
Śalya berkata: Wahai raja, di medan ini bumi menjadi tak dapat dilalui. Manusia, kuda, dan gajah bergelimpangan terbunuh, dan kereta-kereta perang yang dihancurkan panah runtuh bertumpuk-tumpuk. Anak panah Karṇa dan Dhanañjaya merobek tubuh, merenggut nyawa, lalu seketika menukik masuk ke tanah—bagai ular raksasa merah tua yang menyusup kembali ke liang.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral weight of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, its immediate fruit is devastation—life is cut down, and the very earth becomes clogged with the results. It invites reflection on how ‘victory’ is inseparable from suffering and loss.
Śalya describes the battlefield after intense archery between Arjuna and Karṇa: arrows pierce and kill men, horses, and elephants, then sink into the ground; broken chariots and corpses make the terrain impassable.