Shloka 16
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
अयःकुन्तांश्व॒ पतितान् मुसलानि गुरूणि च । शतघ्नी: पश्य चित्राश्न विपुलान् परिघांस्तथा,'लोहेके कुन्त (भाले), भारी मूसल, विचित्र शतध्नियाँ और विशाल परिघ इधर-उधर पड़े हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
ayaḥ-kuntāṃś ca patitān musalāni gurūṇi ca |
śataghnīḥ paśya citrāś ca vipulān parighāṃs tathā ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold—iron-tipped spears lying fallen about, and heavy maces; see also the many wondrous śataghnīs, and likewise the massive iron clubs (parighas) scattered everywhere.” The scene underscores the moral cost of war: the field is strewn not with glory but with instruments of harm, mute witnesses to violence and the collapse of restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark ethical reminder: war reduces human aims to scattered instruments of killing. The ‘wondrous’ variety of weapons highlights ingenuity turned toward harm, inviting reflection on restraint (dama) and the tragic consequences when dharma is pursued through unchecked violence.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out the battlefield littered with fallen weapons—spears, heavy maces, śataghnīs, and massive parighas—emphasizing the intensity of the fighting and the devastation left in its wake.