Shloka 38
नानावेषधरा राजन् नानाशस्त्रौघसंवृता: । रुधिरेणानुलिप्ताज़ा भान्ति चित्र: शरैर्हता:,राजन! नाना प्रकारके वेश धारण करनेवाले तथा अनेक प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंसे सम्पन्न योद्धा अर्जुनके विचित्र बाणोंसे मारे जाकर अदभुत शोभा पा रहे थे। उनके सारे अंग खूनसे लथपथ हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | nānāveṣadharā rājan nānāśastraughasaṃvṛtāḥ | rudhireṇānuliptāṅgā bhānti citrāḥ śarairhatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, warriors wearing many kinds of disguises and equipped with masses of diverse weapons—though struck down by Arjuna’s wondrous arrows—appeared strangely splendid, their limbs smeared and drenched with blood. The scene reveals the grim paradox of battle: martial display and prowess shining even amid slaughter, while the moral weight of violence remains inescapable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the unsettling coexistence of martial splendor and moral horror in war: even as warriors display skill, arms, and striking appearance, the reality is death and bloodshed. It implicitly invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence, even when performed under kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene where many differently attired and heavily armed fighters are struck down by Arjuna’s remarkable arrows. Though slain and smeared with blood, they appear visually ‘wondrous’ in the grim spectacle of combat.