Shloka 72
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
सादिनां भुजगैश्छिन्नै: पतितै: साड्रदैस्तथा । प्रासैश्न विमलैस्तीक्ष्णै्विमलाभिस्तथर्डिभि:,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
sa-ādīnāṁ bhujagaiś chinnaiḥ patitaiḥ sādradaiḥ tathā | prāsaiś ca vimalais tīkṣṇair vimalābhis tathā ṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There lay scattered everywhere the severed and fallen arms of the horsemen, cut as though by serpents—along with sharp, spotless lances and gleaming spears. Weapons and harness, broken into many pieces, were strewn across the field, bearing witness to the relentless violence of battle and the swift undoing of martial pride.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark impermanence of bodily power and martial display: in war, even the finest weapons and the strongest arms quickly become broken remnants. Ethically, it functions as a sobering reminder that violence reduces human agency to scattered fragments, urging reflection on the cost of conflict even within kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene: severed arms of mounted warriors and bright, sharp lances and spears lie strewn about. The imagery conveys the intensity of the fighting and the widespread destruction of men and equipment.