Shloka 73
दुःशासन-सहदेव-संक्षोभः; भीम-राधेय-गदायुद्धम्; द्रोण-पार्थ-अस्त्रसंग्रामः
Duhshasana–Sahadeva Clash; Bhima–Karna Mace Exchange; Drona–Arjuna Astra Duel
रराज वसुधा55कीर्णा विसर्पद्धिरिवोरगै: । हाथियोंके शुण्डदण्ड कटकर इधर-उधर तड़पते हुए ऐसे प्रतीत हो रहे थे, मानो सर्प चल रहे हों। उनके द्वारा आच्छादित हुई वहाँकी भूमि अद्भुत शोभा पा रही थी
rarāja vasudhā kīrṇā visarpadbhir ivoragaiḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Bumi bersinar aneh dan menakjubkan, bertaburan di mana-mana dengan belalai gajah yang terpenggal. Ketika ia menggelupur dan berselerak ke segala arah, ia tampak seperti ular yang merayap—suatu pemandangan yang mengagumkan namun menggerunkan—yang menegaskan harga kejam peperangan dan beratnya beban moral yang dipikul oleh mereka yang berperang.
संयज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—severed elephant-trunks resembling crawling serpents—to highlight the horrifying reality of battle. It implicitly presses an ethical reflection: even when war is framed as dharma-yuddha, its visible fruits are suffering and destruction, demanding moral seriousness and restraint.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the ground is covered with cut-off elephant trunks that twitch and writhe, making the earth appear strangely ‘beautiful’ in a terrible way, like it is filled with moving snakes.