Shloka 30
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
वैदूर्यदण्डांश्व शुभान् पतितानड्कुशान् भुवि । बद्धा: सादिभुजाग्रेषु सुवर्णविकृता: कशा:
sañjaya uvāca
vaidūryadaṇḍāṁś ca śubhān patitān aṅkuśān bhuvi |
baddhāḥ sādibhuja-agreṣu suvarṇa-vikṛtāḥ kaśāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Di atas tanah terhampar banyak cemeti penggiring yang indah, hulunya bertatahkan permata vaidūrya. Dan banyak juga cemeti buatan emas—yang dahulu digenggam rapat di tangan para penunggang—telah tertebas lalu jatuh. Pemandangan itu memperlihatkan bahawa alat-alat kawalan dan perintah dalam perang pun turut hancur, menandakan runtuhnya tertib di tengah keganasan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power and control: even the tools meant to direct and restrain (goads and whips) are shattered in war, suggesting how violence dissolves order and mastery.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: ornate goads with gem-studded handles and gold-made whips that had been in riders’ hands are now cut off and lying on the ground, indicating intense fighting and the fall of charioteers/horsemen.