Shloka 366
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
निहतै राजपुतन्रैश्न क्षत्रियैश्व॒ महाबलै: । उस समय वहाँ मारे गये राजकुमारों तथा महाबली क्षत्रियोंकी लाशोंसे वह युद्धस्थल गन्धर्वनगरके समान भयानक जान पड़ता था
nihataiḥ rājaputraiś ca kṣatriyaiś ca mahābalaiḥ | tadā tatra hatānāṃ rājaputrāṇāṃ mahābalānāṃ ca kṣatriyāṇāṃ śavair yuddhasthalaṃ gandharvanagarasadṛśaṃ bhayānakaṃ babhūva |
Wika ni Sañjaya: Nang mapatay ang mga prinsipe at ang mga makapangyarihang mandirigmang kṣatriya, ang larangan ng digmaan noon—na nagkalat ang mga bangkay ng mga anak ng hari at matatapang na kawal—ay nagmistulang nakapangingilabot na parang isang lungsod ng Gandharva: maringal sa anyo, ngunit kakila-kilabot sa katotohanan. Ipinakikita nito ang halagang moral ng digmaan, kung saan ang dugong maharlika at lakas ay kapwa nagwawakas sa iisang katahimikan ng kamatayan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even princes and mighty warriors, symbols of power and lineage, become indistinguishable in death. The comparison to a Gandharva-city suggests a deceptive splendor—war may look grand, but its reality is fearsome and morally costly.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: many royal sons and powerful kṣatriyas have been killed, and the ground is covered with corpses. The scene is so overwhelming that it seems like a terrifying Gandharva-city.