Shloka 4
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
गजाश्चदेहास्थिचयै: पर्वतैरिव संचितम् । नरशीर्षकपालैशक्ष शंखैरिव च सर्वश:,वहाँ हाथियों और घोड़ोंके शरीरों तथा हड्डियोंके अनेकानेक पहाड़ों-जैसे ढेर लगे हुए थे। सब ओर शंखके समान सफेद नरमुण्डोंकी खोपड़ियाँ फैली हुई थीं
gajāś ca dehāsthicayaiḥ parvatair iva sañcitam | naraśīrṣakapālaiś ca śaṅkhair iva ca sarvaśaḥ ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: Там громады, словно горы, сложились из туш и костяных куч слонов (и коней). А повсюду человеческие черепа — белые, как раковины раковин-раковин (шанкха), — были разбросаны во все стороны.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the devastating cost of war: even the mighty (elephants, warriors) become indistinguishable heaps of bodies and bones. The stark imagery supports the Shanti Parva’s ethical reflection on violence, impermanence, and the need to re-anchor kingship and conduct in dharma after destruction.
Vaiśampāyana describes a scene of carnage after battle: mountain-like piles of animal bodies and bones, and human skulls scattered everywhere, their whiteness compared to conch-shells. The narration sets a somber backdrop for the ensuing discourse on peace, duty, and moral restoration.