Shloka 8
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 50 — Arjuna’s foreboding and lament for Abhimanyu; Kṛṣṇa’s dharma-consolation
प्रविद्धवर्माभरणाम्बरायुधा विपन्नहस्त्यश्वरथानुगा नरा: | महार्हशय्यास्तरणोचितास्तदा क्षितावनाथा इव शेरते हता:,योद्धाओंके कवच, आभूषण, वस्त्र और आयुध छिन्न-भिन्न हो गये। हाथी, घोड़े तथा रथोंका अनुसरण करनेवाले पैदल मनुष्य अपने प्राण खोकर पड़े थे। जो राजा और राजकुमार बहुमूल्य शय्याओं तथा बिछौनोंपर शयन करनेके योग्य थे, वे ही उस समय मारे जाकर अनाथकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर पड़े थे
sañjaya uvāca |
praviddha-varmābharaṇāmbara-āyudhā vipanna-hasty-aśva-ratha-anugā narāḥ |
mahārha-śayyāstaraṇa-ucitās tadā kṣitāv anāthā iva śerate hatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Their armor, ornaments, garments, and weapons lay scattered and shattered. The foot-soldiers who had followed behind elephants, horses, and chariots had fallen lifeless. Those very kings and princes who were fit to recline upon costly beds and fine coverings now lay slain upon the bare earth—like the forsaken and unprotected.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly status: those accustomed to luxury and protection can, in war, become as helpless as the unprotected. It ethically frames battle as a leveling force that exposes the impermanence of power, wealth, and rank.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: armor, ornaments, clothing, and weapons are strewn about; infantry who followed elephants, horses, and chariots have been slain; and even high-born kings and princes lie dead on the ground like abandoned persons.