Shloka 30
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
तदनन्तर वे एक-दूसरेका वध करने, परस्पर चोट खाकर धराशायी होने तथा शरीरसे रक्त बहाने लगे। उनके मस्तिष्क, नेत्र और आयुध नष्ट हो गये थे ।। दन्तपूर्ण: सरुधिरैर्वक्त्र्दीडिमसंनिभै: । जीवन्त इव चाप्येके तस्थु: शस्त्रोपबृंहिता:,कितने ही वीरोंके शरीर अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंसे व्याप्त एवं प्राणशून्य होकर पड़े थे; परंतु उनके खुले हुए मुखमें जो रक्तरंजित दाँत थे, उनके द्वारा वे फटे हुए अनारके फलों-जैसे जान पड़ते थे और उस तरहके मुखोंद्वारा वे जीवित-से प्रतीत होते थे
tad-anantaraṁ te eka-dūṣare-kā vadhaṁ kurvantaḥ parasparaṁ cōṭa-khātvā dharāśāyī bhavitvā śarīrāt raktaṁ srāvayām āsuḥ | teṣāṁ mastakāni netrāṇi cāyudhāni ca naṣṭāni āsan || dantapūrṇāḥ sa-rudhirair vaktra-dāḍima-saṁnibhaiḥ | jīvanta iva cāpy eke tasthuḥ śastro-pabṛṁhitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Thereafter they began to slay one another—striking and being struck, collapsing to the earth, and pouring blood from their bodies. Heads, eyes, and weapons were shattered and ruined. Many warriors lay lifeless, their bodies pierced through with missiles and blades; yet their mouths, filled with blood and bared teeth, looked like split pomegranates, so that by those gaping, crimson mouths they seemed almost as if still alive. The verse underscores the moral horror of war: even when life has departed, the body’s violent display can mimic vitality, revealing how battle confuses the signs of life, dignity, and dharma.
संजय उवाच