Shloka 19
Jayadrathasya varaprāptiḥ (जयद्रथस्य वरप्राप्तिः) — Jayadratha’s boon and the restraint of the Pāṇḍava advance
शक्तिचापासिभिश्रैव पतितैश्न महाध्वजै: । चर्मचापशरैश्लैव व्यवकीर्ण: समन्तत:,आवश्यक सामग्री, बैठक, ईषादण्ड, बन्धुर, अक्ष, पहिए और जूए चूर-चूर और टुकड़े- टुकड़े होकर गिरे थे। शक्ति, धनुष, खड़्ग, गिरे हुए विशाल ध्वज, ढाल और बाण भी छिज्न- भिन्न होकर सब ओर बिखरे पड़े थे। प्रजानाथ! बहुत-से क्षत्रिय, घोड़े और हाथी भी मारे गये थे। इन सबके कारण वहाँकी भूमि क्षणभरमें अत्यन्त भयंकर और अगम्य हो गयी थी
saṅjaya uvāca |
śakticāpāsibhiś caiva patitaiś ca mahādhvajaiḥ |
carma-cāpa-śaraiś caiva vyavakīrṇaḥ samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The ground was strewn on every side with fallen spears, bows, and swords, with great banners brought down, and with shields, bows, and arrows scattered everywhere. The scene conveys the crushing cost of battle—where instruments of power and protection alike lie broken, and the field itself becomes a testimony to the violence unleashed when kṣatriya duty is pursued through relentless slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the aftermath of war: weapons, banners, and defenses lie scattered, reminding the listener that martial achievement quickly turns into ruin on the ground. It implicitly cautions that even when war is framed as duty, its visible fruit is devastation and the collapse of worldly pride.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: spears, bows, swords, great standards, shields, and arrows have fallen and are scattered in all directions, indicating intense fighting and heavy losses.