Shloka 53
धनूंषि समिधस्तत्र पवित्राणि शिता: शरा: । हविरात्मवतश्चात्मा तस्मिन् भारत कर्मणि,भारत! उस आत्मसमर्पणरूपी यज्ञकर्ममें आत्मबल-सम्पन्न अश्वत्थामाका धनुष ही समिधा, तीखे बाण ही कुशा और शरीर ही हविष्यरूपमें प्रस्तुत हुए
sañjaya uvāca |
dhanūṃṣi samidhas tatra pavitrāṇi śitāḥ śarāḥ |
havir ātmavataś cātmā tasmin bhārata karmaṇi ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Di sana, dalam perbuatan itu—wahai Bharata—yang menyerupai yajña persembahan diri, busur menjadi kayu api samidh, anak panah yang tajam menjadi alat/rumput penyuci yang suci, dan tubuh sang pahlawan sendiri, diperkukuh oleh tekad batin, dipersembahkan sebagai havis (korban).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses yajña imagery to portray martial action as a ‘sacrifice,’ prompting ethical scrutiny: sacred language can elevate resolve and meaning, yet it can also dangerously legitimize violence by clothing it in ritual purity.
Sanjaya describes the scene in sacrificial terms: the bow functions like fuel for a fire-ritual, arrows become purifying implements, and the agent’s own embodied self is treated as the oblation—intensifying the depiction of determined, self-committing violence in the Sauptika episode.