Shloka 14
अभिमन्योर् विक्रमः — Abhimanyu’s Disruptive Advance and the Gāndharva-astra Counter
सखडूगा: साड््गुलित्राणा: सपट्टिशपरश्व धा: । अदृश्यन्त भुजाश्छिन्ना हेमाभरणभूषिता:,सोनेके आभूषणोंसे विभूषित उनकी भुजाएँ खड्ग, दस्ताने, पट्टिश और फरसोंसहित कटी दिखायी देने लगीं
sa-khaḍgāḥ sa-aṅgulitrāṇāḥ sa-paṭṭiśa-paraśvadhāḥ | adṛśyanta bhujāś chinnā hema-ābharaṇa-bhūṣitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Arms, severed in the fighting, were seen lying about—still adorned with golden ornaments, and still bearing their weapons: swords, protective hand-guards, paṭṭiśa-blades, and axes. The scene underscores the terrible cost of war, where the signs of rank and valor become mere remnants amid indiscriminate destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethical reality of war: even the marks of honor—gold ornaments and fine weapons—cannot protect life. It implicitly points to impermanence and the heavy human cost that accompanies kṣatriya-duty when conflict becomes all-consuming.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: severed arms of warriors are visible, still decorated with gold and still holding or associated with weapons such as swords, hand-guards, paṭṭiśa-blades, and axes—emphasizing the intensity and carnage of the fighting.