Shloka 16
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
हतैर्गजपदात्योघैवजिभिश्न निषूदितै: । रथैश्व बहुधा भग्नै: समास्तीर्यत मेदिनी,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी वहाँ मरकर गिरे हुए हाथियों, पैदल सिपाहियों, घोड़ों तथा टूटे हुए बहुत-से रथोंद्वारा पृथ्वी आच्छादित हो गयी थी
hatair gajapadātyoghair vajibhiś ca niṣūditaiḥ | rathaiś ca bahudhā bhagnaiḥ samāstīryata medinī || ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarccat kaḍukabarhiṇavājitaiḥ | tataḥ suśarmāṇaṃ ca kṛpācāryaṃ ca trīṇi-trīṇi śaraiḥ vivyādha | rājendra! punaḥ samarāṅgaṇe prāgjyotiṣanareśaṃ bhagadattaṃ sindhurājaṃ jayadrathaṃ citrasenaṃ vikarṇaṃ kṛtavarmāṇaṃ durmiṣaṇaṃ tathā mahārathī vindānuvindau—eteṣāṃ pratyekaṃ gṛdhrapakṣayuktaiḥ trīṇi-trīṇi śaraiḥ viśeṣapīḍāṃ cakāra | tatra hatair gajaiḥ padātibhiḥ aśvaiś ca bhagnaiś ca bahubhir rathaiḥ pṛthivī ācchāditābhavat ||
Sanjaya said: The earth was strewn and covered with the slain—elephants and masses of infantry, horses cut down, and many chariots shattered in various ways. Then, one by one, he struck each with three arrows, feathered like a vulture’s wing, and pierced both Susharma and Kripacharya with three shafts apiece. O best of kings, again on the battlefield he inflicted sharp torment—three arrows each—upon Bhagadatta, king of Pragjyotisha; Jayadratha, lord of Sindhu; Chitrasena; Vikarna; Kritavarma; Durmishana; and the great chariot-warriors Vinda and Anuvinda. Thus the ground became hidden beneath the wreckage of war and the bodies of men and beasts, showing how unchecked fury in battle turns the field into a testimony of destruction rather than righteousness.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim consequence of war: even when fought under kshatriya codes, the battlefield quickly becomes a landscape of ruin. It implicitly urges reflection on dharma—valor and skill do not erase the moral weight of widespread destruction.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield littered with dead elephants, soldiers, horses, and broken chariots. A warrior (implied from context) shoots three arrows at a time, piercing Susharma and Kripa, and then similarly striking Bhagadatta, Jayadratha, Chitrasena, Vikarna, Kritavarma, Durmishana, and the brothers Vinda and Anuvinda.