Shloka 13
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
शिरसां पात्यमानानामन्तरा निशितै: शरै: । अशभ्मवृष्टिरिवाकाशादभवद् भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! बीचमें तीखे बाणोंसे काटकर गिराये जानेवाले योद्धाओंके मस्तकोंकी श्रेणी आकाशसे होनेवाली पत्थरोंकी वर्षा-सी जान पड़ती थी
śirasāṁ pātyamānānām antarā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | aśmavṛṣṭir ivākāśād abhavad bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bharata, deretan kepala para pahlawan yang terpenggal di tengah jatuh oleh anak panah yang tajam tampak seolah-olah hujan batu sedang mencurah dari langit.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive: it underscores the terrifying power of weapons and the fragility of embodied life in war, implicitly warning that martial glory is inseparable from grievous destruction.
In the midst of battle, sharp arrows cut down warriors so violently that their severed heads fall in lines; the narrator compares this sight to a rain of stones falling from the sky.