Shloka 60
सतलन्रै: सकेयूरैर्बाहिभि श्रन्दनो क्षितै: । हस्तिहस्तोपमैश्छिन्नैरूरुभिश्न॒ तरस्विनाम्,भारत! रणभूमिमें गिरे हुए बैलके समान विशाल नेत्रोंवाले वेगशाली वीरोंकी दस्तानों और केयूरोंसे युक्त चन्दनचर्चित भुजाओंसे, हाथीकी सूँड़के समान प्रतीत होनेवाली छिन्न- भिन्न हुई जाँघोंसे तथा उत्तम चूड़ामणि (मुकुट)-से आबद्ध कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तकोंसे वहाँकी भूमि अद्भुत शोभा पा रही थी
sa-talanraiḥ sa-keyūraiḥ bāhubhiḥ śranda-no kṣitaiḥ | hastihastopamaiś chinnair ūrubhiś ca tarasvinām, bhārata |
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, the battlefield ground appeared wondrously adorned—strewn with the sandal-smeared arms of mighty warriors, still bearing their protective gloves and armlets, and with severed thighs that looked like the trunks of elephants. The scene, though terrible, is narrated as a grim ‘splendour’ of war, underscoring how martial glory can mask the ethical horror of bodies broken in battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of war: even when described with the language of beauty and ornament (‘adorned’ earth), the reality is dismemberment and death. It invites reflection on dharma—how kṣatriya glory and aestheticized heroism can conceal the ethical cost of violence and the impermanence of bodily pride and adornment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield is covered with the fallen bodies of powerful warriors—arms smeared with sandal paste and still wearing armlets and protective gear, and severed thighs compared to elephant trunks—creating a dreadful yet striking spectacle on the ground.