Shloka 39
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
क्रव्यादै: कृष्पमाणानामपरेषां महात्मनाम् | शातकौम्भ्य: सत्रजनश्चित्रा विप्रकीर्णा: समन्ततः,“दूसरे महामनस्वी वीरोंको मांसाहारी जीव इधर-उधर खींच रहे हैं, जिससे सोनेकी बनी हुई उनकी विचित्र मालाएँ सब ओर बिखर गयी हैं
kravyādaiḥ kṛṣyamāṇānām apareṣāṃ mahātmanām | śātakaumbhyaḥ srajaś citrā viprakīrṇāḥ samantataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Outros guerreiros de grande alma estão sendo arrastados de um lado para outro por criaturas devoradoras de carne; e, ao serem puxados, suas maravilhosas guirlandas de ouro se espalharam em todas as direções.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and existential shock of war: even the ‘great-souled’ and honored warriors, once adorned with golden garlands, are reduced to bodies dragged by scavengers. It highlights impermanence and the moral cost of violence, inviting reflection on dharma and the consequences of conflict.
In the Stree Parva’s lamentation setting after the Kurukṣetra war, the narrator describes the battlefield’s grim scene: carrion-eaters pull at the fallen heroes, and their ornate golden garlands are torn off and scattered everywhere.