Shloka 29
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्
Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement
विशिरस्कैर्मनुष्यैश्व च्छिन्नगात्रैश्न वारणै: । अश्वैः सम्भिन्नदेहैश्व संकीर्णाभूद् वसुन्धरा,बिना सिरके मनुष्यों, कटे हुए अंगोंवाले हाथियों तथा छिलन्न-भिन्न शरीरवाले घोड़ोंसे वहाँकी सारी भूमि पट गयी थी
viśiraskair manuṣyaiś ca chinnagātraiś ca vāraṇaiḥ | aśvaiḥ sambhinnadehaiś ca saṅkīrṇābhūd vasundharā ||
Sanjaya said: The earth there became strewn and choked with the horrors of battle—headless men, elephants with limbs hewn away, and horses with bodies mangled and shattered—so that the very ground was carpeted with the wreckage of violence, revealing the grave ethical cost of war even amid claims of duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark human and animal cost of warfare: even when fought under the banner of dharma, battle produces immense suffering and destruction, inviting reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic consequences of violence.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhritarashtra: the ground is covered with headless soldiers, mutilated elephants, and mangled horses, conveying the intensity and carnage of the ongoing Kurukshetra conflict.