Shloka 216
सतलन्रै: सकेयूरैर्भाति भारत मेदिनी । “भारत! चन्दनचर्चित, अंगदों और केयूरोंसे अलंकृत, सोनेके अन्य आभूषणोंसे विभूषित तथा दस्तानोंसे युक्त वीरोंकी कटी हुई भुजाओंसे युद्धभूमिकी अद्भुत शोभा हो रही है
satalanraiḥ sakeyūraiḥ bhāti bhārata medinī |
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, the earth—the battlefield—shines in a dreadful, astonishing way, strewn with severed arms of warriors: arms smeared with sandal paste, adorned with armlets (aṅgadas) and keyūras, and glittering with golden ornaments and protective coverings. The verse underscores the grim splendor of war, where outward beauty and royal adornment cannot shield the body from the consequences of violence.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark irony of war: ornaments, luxury, and outward refinement (sandal paste, gold, armlets) cannot prevent bodily destruction. It implicitly warns against mistaking external splendor for true security or righteousness, and it frames the battlefield as a place where the cost of violence becomes unmistakably visible.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the horrific yet ‘shining’ appearance of the battlefield, littered with severed arms of fallen warriors still bearing their ornaments and finery. The description intensifies the atmosphere of Karṇa Parva’s fighting by emphasizing both carnage and the tragic grandeur of kṣatriya warfare.