Shloka 47
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
सुदीर्घवृत्त वरचन्दनो क्षितौ सुवर्णमुक्तामणिवज्रभूषणौ । भुजौ धरायां पतितौ नृपस्य तौ विचेष्ट तुस्ता क्ष्यहताविवोरगौ,उत्तम, विशाल, गोलाकार, श्रेष्ठ चन्दनसे चर्चित, सुवर्ण, मुक्ता, मणि तथा हीरोंसे विभूषित पाण्ड्यनरेशकी वे दोनों भुजाएँ पृथ्वीपर गिरकर गरुड़के मारे हुए दो सर्पोंके समान छटपटाने लगीं
sañjaya uvāca |
sudīrghavṛtta-varacandanau kṣitau suvarṇamuktāmaṇivajrabhūṣaṇau |
bhujau dharāyāṃ patitau nṛpasya tau viceṣṭataḥ kṣatāhatāv ivoragau ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di atas tanah terbaring kedua-dua lengan raja—panjang dan bulat elok—disapu pes cendana terbaik, serta dihiasi emas, mutiara, permata dan berlian. Jatuh ke bumi, kedua-duanya menggeliat seperti dua ekor ular yang dipukul dan dilukai oleh Garuḍa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly glory: even a king’s ornamented, powerful arms—symbols of status and might—become helpless in war. It invites reflection on the ethical and human cost of violence and the impermanence of bodily power and royal splendor.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene where the king’s two richly adorned arms have been severed and have fallen to the ground. They twitch and writhe like wounded serpents, emphasizing the gruesome reality of combat and the fall of a royal warrior.