Shloka 196
प्रकीर्णका विप्रकीर्णाश्न॒ राजन् प्रवालमुक्तातरलाश्व हारा: । राजन! हाथीकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले कम्बल या झूल
prakīrṇakā viprakīrṇāś ca rājan pravāla-muktā-taralāśva-hārāḥ |
Wika ni Śalya: “O Hari, nagkalat sa kaguluhan ang lahat—mga bangkay at maging ang mga sagisag ng maharlikang karangyaan. Mga kuwintas na korales at perlas, kumikislap na palamuti ng mga kabayo, at sari-saring mariringal na tanda ng ranggo—lahat ay nakahandusay at nagkalat sa bawat panig. Ipinahahayag ng tanawing ito ang aral na etikal ng digmaan: kapag tinalikuran ang dharma, guguho sa kapahamakan ang pagmamataas at pagdiriwang, at ang labanan ay magiging bulag na pagwasak.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly splendor: ornaments and emblems of power become mere debris on the battlefield. It implicitly critiques pride and the pursuit of victory at any cost, reminding the listener that adharma leads to ruin where even royal grandeur is reduced to scattered fragments.
Śalya addresses the king amid the devastation of the Kurukṣetra war, describing how valuable ornaments—coral and pearl necklaces and horse-trappings—are lying scattered everywhere. The description functions as a vivid battlefield report and a moral commentary on the collapse of order and dignity in war.