Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 18
Pauṇḍraka’s False Vāsudeva Claim, His Death, and the Burning of Vārāṇasī by Sudarśana
आयोधनं तद्रथवाजिकुञ्जर- द्विपत्खरोष्ट्रैररिणावखण्डितै: । बभौ चितं मोदवहं मनस्विना- माक्रीडनं भूतपतेरिवोल्बणम् ॥ १८ ॥
āyodhanaṁ tad ratha-vāji-kuñjara- dvipat-kharoṣṭrair ariṇāvakhaṇḍitaiḥ babhau citaṁ moda-vahaṁ manasvinām ākrīḍanaṁ bhūta-pater ivolbaṇam
那战场上，主之神轮将战车、马、象、人、骡与骆驼斩成碎片，残骸遍地，竟显出骇人的光辉；对有慧者而言，这景象反成一种奇异的快意，宛如鬼众之主（湿婆）那凶猛的游乐场。
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this scene as follows: “Although the devastated battlefield appeared like the dancing place of Lord Śiva at the time of the dissolution of the world, the warriors who were on the side of Kṛṣṇa were very much encouraged by seeing this, and they fought with greater strength.”
FAQs
This verse depicts the battlefield as littered with broken chariots, animals, and soldiers—so fierce that it is compared to the terrifying ‘playground’ of Bhūtapati (Śiva), emphasizing the overwhelming intensity of the conflict.
Śiva is invoked as a poetic comparison: the battlefield’s dreadful spectacle is likened to the fearsome realm associated with Bhūtapati, heightening the sense of terror and grandeur in the narration.
It reminds readers that worldly struggle can appear intoxicating or thrilling to the ambitious, yet it remains grim and destructive—encouraging discernment, restraint, and a dharmic, spiritually grounded outlook.