Shloka 42
अश्वांश्व बहुधा पश्य शोणितेन परिप्लुतान् । अनुकर्षनुपासज्रान् पताका विविधान् ध्वजान्,“देखो, सोनेकी छोटी-छोटी घंटियोंसे सुशोभित बहुसंख्यक रथोंके कितने ही टुकड़े हो गये हैं और नाना प्रकारके घोड़े लहूलुहान होकर पड़े हैं। अनुकर्ष, उपासंग, पताका, नाना प्रकारके ध्वज, योद्धाओंके सब ओर बिखरे हुए बड़े-बड़े श्वेत शंख तथा कितने ही पर्वताकार हाथी जीभ निकाले सोये पड़े हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvānś ca bahudhā paśya śoṇitena pariplutān |
anukarṣān upāsaṅgān patākā vividhān dhvajān |
Sañjaya said: “Behold the horses lying in many places, drenched in blood. See also the anukarṣas and upāsaṅgas (the trailing and attached fittings of chariots), the banners and the many kinds of standards—scattered about in the ruin of battle.” In this report, the narrator does not glorify violence; he forces the listener to confront the moral weight of war through its concrete aftermath—broken equipment, fallen animals, and the disordered symbols of martial pride.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war by highlighting its aftermath: not heroic triumph but blood, broken implements, and fallen animals. It invites sober reflection on dharma by making the cost of conflict visible and undeniable.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out the scene on the field—horses soaked in blood and chariot fittings, banners, and standards scattered about—signs of intense fighting and widespread destruction.