Shloka 18
Pauṇḍraka’s False Vāsudeva Claim, His Death, and the Burning of Vārāṇasī by Sudarśana
आयोधनं तद्रथवाजिकुञ्जर- द्विपत्खरोष्ट्रैररिणावखण्डितै: । बभौ चितं मोदवहं मनस्विना- माक्रीडनं भूतपतेरिवोल्बणम् ॥ १८ ॥
āyodhanaṁ tad ratha-vāji-kuñjara- dvipat-kharoṣṭrair ariṇāvakhaṇḍitaiḥ babhau citaṁ moda-vahaṁ manasvinām ākrīḍanaṁ bhūta-pater ivolbaṇam
主の円盤武器によって戦車・馬・象・人・騾馬・駱駝が切り裂かれ、その残骸が散り敷いた戦場は、凄惨な光を放っていた。それは心ある賢者にさえ奇妙な歓びをもたらし、まるでブータパティ（シヴァ）の荒々しい遊戯の庭のようであった。
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this scene as follows: “Although the devastated battlefield appeared like the dancing place of Lord Śiva at the time of the dissolution of the world, the warriors who were on the side of Kṛṣṇa were very much encouraged by seeing this, and they fought with greater strength.”
FAQs
This verse depicts the battlefield as littered with broken chariots, animals, and soldiers—so fierce that it is compared to the terrifying ‘playground’ of Bhūtapati (Śiva), emphasizing the overwhelming intensity of the conflict.
Śiva is invoked as a poetic comparison: the battlefield’s dreadful spectacle is likened to the fearsome realm associated with Bhūtapati, heightening the sense of terror and grandeur in the narration.
It reminds readers that worldly struggle can appear intoxicating or thrilling to the ambitious, yet it remains grim and destructive—encouraging discernment, restraint, and a dharmic, spiritually grounded outlook.