Shloka 32
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
शाखाप्रशाखाविपुल: सुमहान् पादपो यथा । कंधोंमें धँसे हुए उन बाणोंसे शिखण्डी वैसी ही शोभा पाने लगा, जैसे कोई महान् वृक्ष अपनी शाखा-प्रशाखाओंके कारण अधिक विस्तृत दिखायी देता हो ।। तावन्योन्यं भूशं विद्ध्वा रुधिरेण समुक्षितौ,(पोप्लूयमानौ हि यथा महान्तौ शोणितद्वदे ।) वे दोनों महान् वीर एक-दूसरेको अत्यन्त घायल करके खूनसे इस प्रकार नहा गये थे, मानो रक्तके सरोवरमें बारंबार डुबकी लगाकर आये हों
sañjaya uvāca |
śākhāpraśākhāvipulaḥ sumahān pādapo yathā |
kaṇḍhāsu nimagnaiḥ śaraiḥ śikhaṇḍī tathaiva śobhitavān, yathā mahān vṛkṣaḥ śākhāpraśākhābhiḥ vistīrṇataraḥ pratibhāti ||
tāv anyonyaṃ bhṛśaṃ viddhvā rudhireṇa samukṣitau |
( poplūyamānau hi yathā mahāntau śoṇitahrade ) |
ubhau mahāvīrau parasparaṃ atīva ghātayitvā rudhireṇa snātāv iva babhūvatuḥ, yathā raktasarasi punaḥ punaḥ nimajjya samāgatāv ||
Sanjaya said: As a vast, mighty tree appears even more expansive because of its many branches and sub-branches, so Shikhandi—his shoulders sunk with arrows—seemed adorned by them in that very way. Having grievously pierced one another, the two great heroes were drenched in blood, as though they had repeatedly plunged into a lake of gore and emerged again. The image underscores the war’s grim splendor: valor is displayed, yet it is inseparable from the terrible cost in life and suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of battlefield ‘splendor’: martial valor and outward magnificence can coexist with profound suffering. It invites ethical reflection on how war aestheticizes injury, reminding the listener that glory is inseparable from grievous harm.
Sanjaya describes Shikhandi with arrows embedded in his shoulders, comparing him to a great tree made broader by many branches. He then depicts the two opposing great warriors as mutually wounding each other so severely that they are drenched in blood, as if they had repeatedly bathed in a lake of blood.