Shloka 38
नराश्वरथमातज़ा युधि गाण्डीवधन्चना । शयव्रातैश्वषिता रेजु: कदम्बा इव केसरै:,युद्धसस््थलमें गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनके बाणोंसे छिदे हुए मनुष्य, घोड़े, रथ और हाथी केसरयुक्त कदम्बपुष्पोंके समान सुशोभित हो रहे थे
narāśvarathamātaṅgā yudhi gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | śaravrātaiś chaviṣitā rejūḥ kadambā iva kesaraiḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa larangan ng digmaan, ang mga tao, kabayo, karwahe, at elepante—na tinuhog ng mga ulang-palaso ni Arjuna, ang may hawak ng Gāṇḍīva—ay waring kakaibang napapalamutian, gaya ng mga bulaklak na kadamba na kumikislap sa kanilang mga stamen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial skill can make scenes of destruction appear visually ‘ornamented,’ prompting reflection on the ethical gravity of war: aesthetic brilliance and heroic prowess do not neutralize the suffering and moral burden inherent in violence.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s intense arrow-fire on the battlefield: warriors, horses, chariots, and elephants are riddled with arrows, and the protruding shafts are compared to the stamens of kadamba flowers, creating a vivid and unsettling image of the carnage.