Shloka 39
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
मृदितानीव पद्मानि प्रम्लाना इव च स्रज:
mṛditānīva padmāni pramlānā iva ca srajaḥ
Sañjaya berkata: “Mereka tampak seperti bunga teratai yang diremukkan, dan seperti kalungan bunga yang layu—gambaran keindahan dan daya hidup yang musnah oleh kekerasan perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of life and splendor: in war, what is naturally beautiful and flourishing becomes quickly ruined. It evokes ethical reflection on the cost of violence and the impermanence of worldly forms.
Sañjaya is describing the aftermath or condition of those affected in the fighting, using vivid similes—crushed lotuses and withered garlands—to convey exhaustion, injury, and the loss of vitality caused by the battle.