Shloka 71
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
यन्त्रैश्व बहुधाच्छिन्नैस्तोमरैश्वापि काउचनै: । अश्वानां रेणुकपिलै रुक्मच्छन्नैरुरश्छदै:,अनेक टुकड़ोंमें कटे हुए यन्त्र, सुवर्णमय तोमर, धूलसे कपिल वर्णके दिखायी देनेवाले अश्वोंकी छातीको ढकनेवाले सुनहरे कवच, बाजूबंदसहित घुड़सवारोंके हाथोंमें धारण किये हुए तीखे और चमकीले प्रास तथा चमचमाती हुई ऋष्टियाँ छिन्न-भिन्न होकर यत्र-तत्र पड़ी थीं
yantraiś ca bahudhā cchinnaiḥ tomaraiś cāpi kāñcanaiḥ | aśvānāṃ reṇukapilai rūkma-channair uraś-chadaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The field was strewn with war-engines shattered into many pieces, with golden tomara-spears, and with the horses’ breast-guards—gold-covered and, through the dust, making the horses appear tawny—lying broken and scattered here and there. The scene underscores the impersonal devastation of battle: splendid weapons and armor, meant for protection and prowess, are reduced to fragments amid the churned dust of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly splendor in war: gold-plated weapons and protective gear, symbols of power and pride, are rendered useless and broken. Ethically, it points to the sobering cost of conflict and the transience of material glory amid violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the aftermath on the battlefield: shattered war-machines, golden spears, and broken horse breast-guards lie scattered, with dust making the horses appear tawny—an image of intense fighting and widespread ruin.