Shloka 56
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
संतस्तार क्षितिं क्षिप्रं विनालैनलिनैरिव । धनंजयने अपने तीखे भल्लोंसे वीरोंके सुन्दर नेत्र
sañjaya uvāca | saṃtastāra kṣitiṃ kṣipraṃ vinālainalinair iva | dhanañjayena apane tīkṣṇaiḥ bhallaiḥ vīrāṇāṃ sundara-netra-bhrū-danta-śobhitān pūrṇa-candramā-samaṃ manohara-mukhavālīn mastakān chittvā-chittvā tatraiva bhūmiṃ kṣaṇena pātayām āsa, yathā tatra vināla-kamalāni bistaritāni syuḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), dengan anak panah bhalla yang setajam mata pisau, segera memenggal kepala para pahlawan berkali-kali—kepala yang dihiasi mata, kening, dan gigi yang elok, dengan wajah menawan laksana bulan purnama—lalu dalam sekejap menghampari bumi di situ, seolah-olah tanah itu ditaburi teratai tanpa tangkai.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of righteous warfare: a kṣatriya’s duty may demand decisive force, yet the poetic imagery also makes the human cost unmistakable, inviting reflection on dharma performed amid tragic consequences.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s battlefield feat: with sharp bhalla arrows he repeatedly beheads opposing warriors, so that the ground appears covered with severed heads, compared to a spread of stemless lotuses.