Shloka 28
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
वारणानां परिस्तोमांस्तथैवाजिनकम्बलान्
vāraṇānāṁ paristomāṁs tathaivājinakambalān
Sañjaya berkata: “Perhiasan dan kain penutup gajah yang berhias—bersama kulit rusa dan selimut—terkoyak rabak lalu gugur. Kain pelana bertatah benang perak, cangkuk gajah, dan banyak loceng besar yang pecah berketul-ketul berselerak di bumi bersama gajah-gajah agung, menandai kebinasaan dan pembaziran yang ditinggalkan perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: even the most magnificent war-elephants and their costly adornments are reduced to torn remnants. It implicitly critiques the vanity of martial display and points to the ethical cost and waste inherent in war.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: elephants have fallen, and their ornate coverings—along with hides, blankets, and associated gear like goads and bells—are shredded and strewn across the ground, emphasizing the scale of carnage.