Shloka 61
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
बद्धचूडामणिवरै: शिरोभिश्व सकुण्डलै: । पातितैर््नषभाक्षाणां बभौ भारत मेदिनी,भारत! रणभूमिमें गिरे हुए बैलके समान विशाल नेत्रोंवाले वेगशाली वीरोंकी दस्तानों और केयूरोंसे युक्त चन्दनचर्चित भुजाओंसे, हाथीकी सूँड़के समान प्रतीत होनेवाली छिन्न- भिन्न हुई जाँघोंसे तथा उत्तम चूड़ामणि (मुकुट)-से आबद्ध कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तकोंसे वहाँकी भूमि अद्भुत शोभा पा रही थी
baddhacūḍāmaṇivaraiḥ śirobhiś ca sakuṇḍalaiḥ | pātitair nṛṣabhākṣāṇāṃ babhau bhārata medinī ||
Sañjaya disse: «Ó Bhārata, a terra naquele campo de batalha brilhava com um esplendor estranho e terrível—juncada de cabeças caídas de guerreiros poderosos, presas por excelentes joias de crista e adornadas com brincos, e dos corpos abatidos de heróis de olhos como os de um touro.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly glory: ornaments and insignia of honor (jewels, earrings) become mere debris amid slaughter, reminding the listener of the ethical and human cost of war even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: the ground is covered with fallen heads of warriors, still adorned with crest-jewels and earrings, creating an eerie splendor that conveys the scale and horror of the fighting.