Shloka 35
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
बाहवो विशिखैश्कछिन्ना: शिरांस्युन्मथितानि च । पतमानान्यदृश्यन्त द्रुमेभ्य इव पक्षिण:,बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न हुई भुजाएँ और कटे हुए मस्तक इस प्रकार गिरते दिखायी दे रहे थे, मानो वृक्षोंसे पक्षी गिर रहे हों
bāhavo viśikhaiś chinnāḥ śirāṁsy unmathitāni ca | patamānāny adṛśyanta drumebhya iva pakṣiṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Arms severed by arrows and heads torn away were seen falling to the ground—like birds dropping from trees. The image underscores the pitiless momentum of battle, where human bodies are reduced to falling fragments, warning of the moral and existential cost that accompanies unchecked fury and the pursuit of victory at any price.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile to highlight the dehumanizing reality of war: life and bodily integrity can be destroyed in an instant. Ethically, it functions as a caution—victory pursued through escalating violence brings pervasive suffering and reveals the fragility (anityatā) of embodied life.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reports that arrows are severing warriors’ arms and tearing off heads, which are seen falling in great numbers—compared to birds dropping from trees—conveying the intensity and carnage of the fighting.