Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
रराजातिभृशं भूमिर्विकीर्णैरिव पर्वतै: । अनेकों टुकड़ोंमें कटकर धराशायी हुए पर्वताकार गजराजोंसे वहाँकी भूमि इस प्रकार अत्यन्त शोभासम्पन्न हो रही थी, मानो वहाँ बहुत-से पर्वत बिखरे हुए हों ।। तपनीयमरयैयोंक्त्रैरमुक्ताजालवि भूषितै:,कितने ही घोड़े सुनहरी रस्सियों तथा मोतीकी जालियोंसे विभूषित विचित्र आच्छादन वस्त्रोंस विशेष शोभायमान हो रहे थे। महाबाहु सात्यकिके द्वारा रौंदे जाकर वे धरतीपर पड़े थे और उनके प्राण-परखेरू उड़ गये
sañjaya uvāca |
rarājāti-bhṛśaṃ bhūmir vikīrṇair iva parvataiḥ |
tapanīya-mayair yoktrair amuktā-jāla-vibhūṣitaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: The earth shone exceedingly, as if strewn with mountains, because of the huge lordly elephants that had been cut down into many pieces and lay collapsed. Many horses too—adorned with golden reins and decorated with nets of pearls—lay on the ground, their lives driven out, trampled down by the mighty-armed Sātyaki. The scene underscores the terrible cost of war: even what is splendidly ornamented becomes, in a moment, a sign of ruin when dharma is eclipsed by slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly splendor and the moral gravity of war: ornaments and grandeur (gold, pearls, mighty beasts) cannot shield life from destruction. It invites reflection on dharma—how quickly violence turns magnificence into devastation, and how the battlefield tests the ethical limits of kṣatriya action.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after Sātyaki’s assault: enormous elephants lie cut down, making the ground look as though mountains are scattered about. Horses richly adorned with golden reins and pearl-net decorations have been trampled and lie lifeless on the earth, emphasizing the scale and ferocity of the fighting.