Shloka 47
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
पश्य कड्कांश्व गृध्रांश्ष समवेतान् सहस्रश:
paśya kaṅkāṃś ca gṛdhrāṃś ca samavetān sahasraśaḥ
Sañjaya berkata: “Lihatlah—burung helang dan burung hering, berhimpun bersama beribu-ribu.” Baris ini menegaskan kepastian ngeri tentang pembantaian di medan perang: sebelum keputusan pun terucap, kehadiran burung pemakan bangkai sudah menjadi tanda beratnya beban etika perang dan kematian yang pasti menyusul keganasan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a moral and psychological warning: war’s ‘victory’ is inseparable from mass death. The gathered carrion-birds symbolize the karmic and ethical cost of violence, reminding the listener that adharma in conflict culminates in destruction.
Sañjaya, narrating events of the Kurukṣetra war, points out the ominous sight of kites and vultures massing on the battlefield—an image that foreshadows heavy casualties and intensifies the dread and gravity of the moment.