Shloka 172
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
क्षिप्तै: काउ्चनदण्डैश्व नृपच्छत्रै: क्षितिर्बभौ । द्यौरिवोदितचन्द्रार्का ग्रहाकीर्णा युगक्षये,इधर-उधर गिरे हुए सुवर्णमय दण्डवाले राजाओंके छत्रोंसे छायी हुई यह पृथ्वी प्रलयकालमें उदित हुए सूर्य, चन्द्रमा तथा ग्रहन-क्षत्रोंसे परिपूर्ण आकाशके समान जान पड़ती थी
kṣiptaiḥ kāñcanadaṇḍaiś ca nṛpacchattraiḥ kṣitir babhau | dyaur ivoditacandrārkā grahākīrṇā yugakṣaye ||
Sañjaya said: The earth shone, strewn with the fallen royal parasols whose staffs were of gold, appearing like the sky at the end of an age—crowded with the risen sun and moon and with planets and stars. The image underscores the grim irony of war: emblems of sovereignty and honor lie discarded, and worldly power is revealed as fragile amid mass destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly power: royal insignia like parasols—symbols of authority and prestige—end up scattered on the ground in war, suggesting that pride in sovereignty is ultimately fragile and ethically sobering.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: the ground is covered with fallen royal parasols with golden staffs. He compares this sight to the sky at cosmic dissolution, crowded with the sun, moon, and celestial bodies, to convey the overwhelming, uncanny spectacle of devastation.