Shloka 5
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
चितासहस्प्रचितं वर्मशस्त्रसमाकुलम् । आपानभूमिं कालस्य तथा भुक्तोज्झितामिव
citāsahasrapracitaṁ varmaśastrasamākulam | āpānabhūmiṁ kālasya tathā bhuktojjhitām iva ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Tanah itu bertimbun dengan ribuan unggun pembakaran mayat, dan ia sesak diliputi baju zirah serta senjata. Pada pandangan mata, ia tampak seperti medan jamuan Sang Waktu (Maut)—seolah-olah Kāla telah bersantap di sana lalu meninggalkan sisa-sisa yang mengerikan. Gambaran ini menjadikan sisa medan perang sebagai amaran moral: kekerasan berakhir pada lanskap di mana keangkuhan dan kuasa manusia menjadi sisa buangan di hadapan keniscayaan Kāla.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses stark imagery to teach that war’s glory collapses into ruin under Kāla: weapons and armor become meaningless debris, and mass death turns the earth into a place of consumption for Time. It supports the Śānti-parvan’s ethical turn toward restraint, reflection, and dispassion after violence.
Vaiśampāyana describes a devastated ground covered with countless funeral pyres and littered with armor and weapons. The scene is likened to the dining-ground of Kāla, as if Death has ‘eaten’ there and left the leftovers—an evocative portrayal of the post-battle landscape.