Shloka 20
आत्मदोष-उपदेशः तथा भीम-धृष्टद्युम्नयोः संयोगः
Self-Causation Counsel and the Bhīma–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Convergence
वाहानामुत्तमाड़ानां कार्मुकाणां च भारत । गदानां परिघाणां च हस्तानां चोरुभि: सह,भारत! भीष्म और भीमके उस संग्राममें मरे हुए वाहनों, कटे हुए मस्तकों, धनुषों, गदाओं, परिघों, हाथों, जाँघों, पैरों, आभूषणों तथा बाजूबन्द आदिके ढेर-के-ढेर दिखायी दे रहे थे
vāhānām uttamāṅgānāṁ kārmukāṇāṁ ca bhārata | gadānāṁ parighāṇāṁ ca hastānāṁ corubhiḥ saha ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, in that fierce clash between Bhīṣma and Bhīma there were seen heaps upon heaps of the slain—fallen mounts, severed heads, bows, maces, iron clubs, and hands lying together with thighs—grim signs of the war’s relentless destruction and the heavy moral cost borne by all who fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark reality of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, it produces overwhelming suffering and irreversible loss, urging reflection on the ethical weight of violence and the consequences of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene during the combat involving Bhīṣma and Bhīma, describing heaps of fallen mounts, severed heads, weapons, and dismembered limbs scattered in the fighting.