Shloka 62
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
विशालायतताम्राक्षै: पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननै: । एषा भू: कीर्यते राज्ञां शिरोभिरपलायिनाम्
viśālāyatatāmrākṣaiḥ pūrṇacandranibhānanaiḥ | eṣā bhūḥ kīryate rājñāṁ śirobhir apalāyinām ||
サンジャヤは言った。「この大地は、戦から逃げず背を向けぬ王たちの斬り落とされた首で撒き散らされている。その首はなお、赤みを帯びた大きな眼と、満月のように美しい面差しを宿し、揺るがぬ勇の払う苛烈な代価を物語っている。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of the non-retreating warrior (apalāyin), but simultaneously exposes the ethical gravity of war: even noble steadfastness results in devastating loss, reminding the listener that valor and destruction can coexist.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield as being covered with the heads of kings who refused to flee. The poetic details—moonlike faces and reddish, wide eyes—intensify the scene’s pathos and the scale of slaughter.