Shloka 32
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
निहतैववरिणैरश्रैः क्षत्रियैश्न निपातितै: । अदृश्यत मही तत्र दारुणप्रतिदर्शना,सुन्दर उपकरणों, बैठकों, ईषादण्ड, बन्धनरज्जुओं और पहियोंसहित रथ चूर-चूर हो रहे थे। उनके धुरे टूट गये थे और जूए टुकड़े-टुकड़े होकर पड़े थे। बहुत-सी ढालों और धनुषोंको लिये-दिये वे टूटे हुए रथ इधर-उधर बिखरे पड़े थे। बहुत-से हार, आभूषण, वस्त्र और बड़े-बड़े ध्वज धरतीपर गिरे हुए थे। अनेक हाथी और घोड़े मारे गये थे तथा बहुत-से क्षत्रिय भी धराशायी कर दिये गये थे। इन सबके कारण वहाँकी भूमि देखनेमें अत्यन्त भयंकर जान पड़ती थी
sañjaya uvāca |
nihatā iva vāriṇair astrāiḥ kṣatriyaiś ca nipātitaiḥ |
adṛśyata mahī tatra dāruṇa-pratidarśanā ||
Sañjaya said: There the earth appeared dreadful to behold, as though struck down by torrents of weapons and by the fallen kṣatriya warriors. The battlefield was strewn with shattered chariots—complete with fine fittings, seats, poles, binding-ropes, and wheels—broken to pieces; axles snapped, yokes splintered, and wrecks lay scattered in every direction, still bearing shields and bows. Garlands, ornaments, garments, and great standards had fallen upon the ground. Many elephants and horses were slain, and many kṣatriyas too were laid low. By all this, that land looked exceedingly terrible—an image of war’s ruin and the heavy moral cost of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of war: even when fought under kṣatriya-dharma, violence leaves the earth ‘dreadful to behold.’ It invites reflection on the moral weight and human cost of conflict, contrasting heroic ideals with the devastation they produce.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: the ground looks as if overwhelmed by a flood of weapons and fallen warriors, with wrecked chariots, fallen standards, and many slain elephants, horses, and kṣatriyas scattered across the field.