Shloka 143
Virāṭa Rescued from Suśarmā; Night Battle and Royal Gratitude (विराटमोक्षणं सुशर्मवधाभिमुखं च)
आस्तीर्णा वसुधा भाति शिरोभिश्व सकुण्डलै: । सर्पोंके शरीरकी भाँति सुशोभित चन्दनचर्चित भुजाओं तथा कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तकोंसे पटी हुई रणभूमि अपूर्व शोभा धारण कर रही थी
āstīrṇā vasudhā bhāti śirobhiś ca sakuṇḍalaiḥ | sarpāṅga iva suśobhitā candanacarcita-bhujaiḥ kuṇḍala-maṇḍita-mastakaiś ca pṛthivī raṇabhūmiḥ apūrvāṃ śobhāṃ dhārayati |
Vaiśampāyana said: The earth lay strewn and yet shone—covered with severed heads adorned with earrings. The battlefield, carpeted with sandalwood-smeared arms and heads decked with ornaments, took on an uncanny, unprecedented splendor, like the patterned body of a serpent. The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s stark moral tension: the same marks of culture and refinement (perfume, jewelry) become, in war, ornaments of death—beauty turned into a grim testimony to violence and impermanence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral paradox of war: signs of refinement and status—sandalwood perfume and jewelry—do not prevent destruction; instead, they become part of a horrifying tableau. It points to the impermanence of bodily glory and the ethical cost of violence, urging reflection on dharma amid conflict.
Vaiśampāyana describes the battlefield after intense fighting. The ground is covered with fallen warriors’ heads and arms, still adorned with earrings and sandalwood paste, creating a grim, serpent-like patterned appearance and an eerie ‘splendor’ born from carnage.