Shloka 23
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
वीरबाहुविसृष्टाभि: शक्तिभि: परिघैरपि । खड्गैश्न विविधैस्तीक्ष्ण: सशरैश्वन शरासनै:,“कहीं वीरोंकी भुजाओंसे छोड़ी गयी शक्तियाँ पड़ी हैं, कहीं परिघ, नाना प्रकारके तीखे खड्ग और बाणसहित घनुष गिरे हुए हैं। कहीं झुंड-के-झुंड मांसभक्षी जीव-जन्तु आनन्दमग्न होकर एक साथ खड़े हैं, कहीं वे खेल रहे हैं और कहीं दूसरे-दूसरे जन्तु सोये पड़े हैं। वीर! प्रभो! इस प्रकार इन सबसे भरे हुए युद्धस्थलको देखो। जनार्दन! मैं तो इसे देखकर शोकसे दग्ध हुई जाती हूँ
vīrabāhuvisṛṣṭābhiḥ śaktibhiḥ parighair api | khaḍgaiś ca vividhaiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ saśaraiś ca śarāsanaiḥ ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Aqui jazem lanças arremessadas pelos braços poderosos dos heróis; aqui também, clavas de ferro. Aqui há espadas afiadas de muitos tipos, e arcos caídos ao chão com as flechas ainda sobre eles. Contempla, ó herói, ó senhor—este campo de batalha, apinhado de tais armas e dos sinais do morticínio. Ó Janārdana, ao vê-lo, sou consumida e abrasada pela dor.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and emotional cost of war: even when fought under claims of dharma, its aftermath is a landscape of ruin that burns the heart with grief. It invites ethical reflection on violence, responsibility, and compassion for the fallen.
The narrator describes the battlefield strewn with weapons—spears, clubs, swords, bows and arrows—while addressing Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa). The speaker’s reaction is intense sorrow, emphasizing the devastation visible after the slaughter.