Shloka 476
जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha
Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition
दीर्घकूचैर्मही कीर्णा विबर्हैरण्डजैरिव । उन लुटेरोंके लंबी दाढ़ीवाले शिरस्त्राणयुक्त मुण्डित मस्तकोंसे आच्छादित हुई रणभूमि पंखहीन पक्षियोंसे व्याप्त हुई-सी जान पड़ती थी
dīrghakūcair mahī kīrṇā vibharhair aṇḍajair iva | un luṭerōṅke lambī dāṛhī-vāle śirastrāṇa-yukta muṇḍita mastakōṅse ācchādit huī raṇabhūmi paṅkha-hīna pakṣibhiḥ vyāptā-sī jān paṛtī thī |
सञ्जय उवाच—दीर्घकूचैः शिरस्त्राणैः मुण्डितैः शिरोभिः च मही कीर्णा, विबर्हैः अण्डजैरिव पङ्खहीनैः पक्षिभिरिव रणभूमिः समाच्छन्नेवाभात्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses stark simile to highlight how war reduces human identity to remnants—helmets, shaven heads, and lifeless bodies—inviting reflection on dharma and the ethical burden of violence even when fought under the banner of duty.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the दृश्य of the battlefield after intense fighting in Droṇa Parva: the ground is covered with helmets and heads, and the scene is compared to a spread of wingless birds, emphasizing devastation and loss.