Shloka 166
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
पतितैर्ऋषभाक्षाणां सा बभावति मेदिनी । वृषभके समान बड़े-बड़े नेत्रोंवाले वीरोंके सीरे हुए मनोहर कुण्डलमण्डित चन्द्रमा-जैसे मुखोंसे वहाँकी भूमि अत्यन्त शोभा पा रही थी
patitair ṛṣabhākṣāṇāṃ sā babhāvati medinī | vṛṣabhake samāna baṛe-baṛe netroṃvāle vīroṃke sīre hue manohara kuṇḍalamaṇḍita candramā-jaise mukhoṃse vahāṃkī bhūmi atyanta śobhā pā rahī thī |
Sañjaya said: The earth became resplendent, strewn with the fallen heroes whose eyes were like those of mighty bulls. Their severed heads—adorned with beautiful earrings and bearing moon-like faces—made the battlefield ground appear strangely splendid, underscoring the grim moral irony of war: outward beauty and valor are rendered meaningless when dharma collapses into slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical paradox of war: even when the fallen appear outwardly splendid, the scene is fundamentally a testimony to destruction and the fragility of human glory. It invites reflection on dharma—how violence, once unleashed, turns honor and beauty into hollow remnants.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting in Droṇa Parva: the ground is covered with fallen warriors, and even their severed, ornamented heads are depicted with poetic beauty, emphasizing the scale and horror of the carnage.