Shloka 196

Devanagari script

प्रकीर्णका विप्रकीर्णाश्न॒ राजन्‌ प्रवालमुक्तातरलाश्व हारा: । राजन! हाथीकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले कम्बल या झूल, पताका, वस्त्र, आभूषण, किरीटमाला, उज्ज्वल मुकुट, श्वेत चामर, मूँगे और मोतियोंके हार--से सब-के-सब इधर- उधर बिखरे पड़े हैं

Transliteration

prakīrṇakā viprakīrṇāś ca rājan pravāla-muktā-taralāśva-hārāḥ |

Translation

Śalya said: “O King, everything lies scattered in confusion—corpses and the trappings of royalty alike. Coral and pearl necklaces, the glittering horse-ornaments, and the many splendid insignia of rank are strewn about on all sides. The scene proclaims the ethical truth of war: pride and pageantry collapse into ruin when dharma is abandoned and battle turns into indiscriminate destruction.”

Word by Word

• प्रकीर्णकाः: scattered, strewn about
• प्रकीर्णकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकीर्णक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विप्रकीर्णाः: thoroughly scattered
• विप्रकीर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्रकीर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रवाल-मुक्ता-तरल-अश्व-हाराः: necklaces (made of) coral, pearls, and shining (gems); horse-ornament necklaces
• प्रवाल-मुक्ता-तरल-अश्व-हाराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शल्य (Śalya)
• राजन् (the king addressed—contextually Duryodhana)
• प्रवाल (coral)
• मुक्ता (pearls)
• अश्वहार (horse-ornaments/necklaces)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly splendor: ornaments and emblems of power become mere debris on the battlefield. It implicitly critiques pride and the pursuit of victory at any cost, reminding the listener that adharma leads to ruin where even royal grandeur is reduced to scattered fragments.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya addresses the king amid the devastation of the Kurukṣetra war, describing how valuable ornaments—coral and pearl necklaces and horse-trappings—are lying scattered everywhere. The description functions as a vivid battlefield report and a moral commentary on the collapse of order and dignity in war.