Shloka 71
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation
वर देनेवाले भूरिश्रवाका नीले केशोंसे अलंकृत तथा कबूतरके समान लाल नेत्रोंवाला वह कटा हुआ सिर ऐसा जान पड़ता था, मानो अश्वमेधके मेध्य अश्वका कटा हुआ मस्तक अग्निकुण्डके भीतर रखा गया हो
vara-denevāle bhūriśravā-kā nīla-keśaiḥ sa-alaṅkṛtaḥ tathā kapūta-samaṃ lāla-netraḥ sa chinnaḥ śiraḥ evaṃ jānīyate sma, yathā aśvamedhasya medhya-aśvasya chinnaṃ mastakaṃ agni-kuṇḍasya antar nihitaṃ syāt.
सञ्जय उवाच—वरदस्य भूरिश्रवसः सुनीलकेशालङ्कृतं पारावतलोहिताक्षं तच्छिन्नं शिरोऽश्वमेधस्य मेध्याश्वस्य निकृत्तं मस्तकं यथाग्निकुण्डान्तर्न्यस्तं स्यादिति प्रतीतिमकरोत्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sacrificial metaphor to highlight an ethical dissonance: battlefield killing can resemble ritual offering in outward imagery, yet it lacks the sanctifying intention and dharmic restraint of a yajña. The comparison invites reflection on how violence, when detached from righteousness, becomes a grim parody of sacred acts.
Sanjaya describes the appearance of Bhūriśravas’s severed head—dark-haired, with reddish eyes—likening it to the head of the consecrated horse in an Aśvamedha placed in the fire-pit. It is a vivid report of the battlefield aftermath, emphasizing shock, pathos, and the ritual-like imagery of death.