Shloka 56
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
तथैवाश्वनूनागानां शरीरैविंबभौ तदा । संछन्ना वसुधा राजन् पर्वतैरिव सर्वश:,राजन! इसी प्रकार घोड़े, हाथी और मनुष्योंके मृत शरीरोंसे सारी वसुधा आच्छादित हो उस समय पर्वतोंसे ढकी हुई-सी जान पड़ती थी
tathaivāśvanūnāgānāṃ śarīrair vimbabhau tadā | saṃchannā vasudhā rājan parvatair iva sarvaśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “So too, O King, at that time the earth appeared covered everywhere with the bodies of fallen horses, elephants, and men—looking as though it were blanketed by mountains.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the catastrophic cost of war: life—human and animal alike—is reduced to lifeless bodies, and the earth itself becomes a witness to mass destruction. Implicitly it invites reflection on dharma and responsibility, since such devastation arises from human choices and conflict.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the aftermath on the battlefield: the ground is so densely strewn with the corpses of horses, elephants, and men that it seems as if the earth is covered by mountains.