Shloka 21
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
शोभितं पुरुषव्यात्रै: कर्णभीष्माभिमन्युभि: | द्रोणद्रुपदशल्यैश्व ज्वलद्धिरिव पावकैः,'पुरुषसिंह कर्ण, भीष्म, अभिमन्यु, द्रोण, द्रुपद और शल्य-जैसे वीरोंसे, जो प्रज्वलित अग्निके समान तेजस्वी थे, यह रणभूमि सुशोभित है
śobhitaṃ puruṣavyātraiḥ karṇabhīṣmābhimanyubhiḥ | droṇadrupadaśalyaiś ca jvaladdhir iva pāvakaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Medan perang itu tampak gemilang oleh lelaki-lelaki laksana harimau—Karna, Bhīṣma, dan Abhimanyu—serta Droṇa, Drupada, dan Śalya, yang menyala seperti api yang hidup.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of martial glory: the radiance of great warriors can make the battlefield appear ‘splendid,’ yet that splendor is inseparable from destruction. It invites ethical reflection on how brilliance and valor, when yoked to adharma or fratricidal conflict, become like fire—dazzling but consuming.
In Strī Parva’s lamentation context after the war, the narrator evokes the battlefield’s former appearance—crowded with renowned champions such as Karna, Bhīṣma, Abhimanyu, Droṇa, Drupada, and Śalya—describing them as blazing like fire, thereby intensifying the sense of loss and the scale of the catastrophe.