Shloka 31
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
आकीणर्णास्तोमरांश्चापि विचित्रान् हेमभूषितान् | चर्माणि चापविद्धानि रुक्मपृष्ठानि भारत,“भारत! देखो, ये सुवर्णभूषित विचित्र तोमर चारों ओर बिखरे पड़े हैं और ये फेंकी हुई ढालें हैं, जिनके पृष्ठभागपर सोना जड़ा हुआ था
ākīrṇāḥ tomarāṁś cāpi vicitrān hemabhūṣitān | carmāṇi cāpaviddhāni rukmapṛṣṭhāni bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, look—here lie scattered all around the spears (tomaras), wondrous and adorned with gold; and here too are the shields that have been cast away, their backs inlaid with gold. Such is the visible cost of battle: splendid weapons and ornaments, once borne with pride, now abandoned amid the ruin of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the transience of martial glory: even gold-adorned weapons and splendid gear end up strewn and discarded, pointing to the ethical gravity and human cost that underlies the outward splendor of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is seen on the battlefield—gold-decorated spears scattered everywhere and shields thrown aside—painting a vivid scene of the aftermath and intensity of the fighting.