Shloka 4763
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान् राड़कवान् पतितान् भुवि । 'घुड़सवारोंकी ध्वजाओंके अग्रभागमें हाथियोंके सुनहरे कंबल उलझ गये हैं। घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले विचित्र
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvāstara-paristomān rāḍakavān patitān bhuvi |
Disse Sañjaya: “Vede—no chão jazem os ricos arreios de cavalos e mulas, as esplêndidas coberturas e ornamentos que outrora os enfeitavam. No caos da batalha, a exibição orgulhosa de estandartes e os custosos caparazões ficaram enredados e lançados por terra, mostrando quão depressa a pompa marcial se desfaz em ruína quando a violência submerge a ordem.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: even the most ornate signs of power—banners, caparisons, and costly gear—are reduced to debris on the battlefield, reminding the listener that pride and display cannot withstand the consequences of violence and fate.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the दृश्य of the battlefield: animal coverings and rich trappings (for horses and related mounts) have fallen to the ground amid the fighting, conveying the scale of disorder and devastation.