Shloka 21
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
रथिनश्न रथैहीना वर्मिणस्तेजसा युता: । कुण्डलोष्णीषिण: सर्वे निष्काड्दविभूषणा:
sañjaya uvāca |
rathinaś ca rathair hīnā varmiṇas tejasā yutāḥ |
kuṇḍaloṣṇīṣiṇaḥ sarve niṣkāṇḍavibhūṣaṇāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：许多伟大的战车武士已失却战车；然而他们披甲在身，战威炽盛，人人佩耳环、戴头巾，颈饰金牌，臂缠金钏。虽其容貌如天界王子般俊美，勇武如因陀罗般无双，却仍被看见徒步奔走、四散逃窜，如同凡夫俗子——显出在战争中，命运与境遇竟能剥夺强者的地位与镇定。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of worldly power in war: even the most splendid and heroic warriors can be reduced to vulnerability when their supports (like chariots and formations) are lost. It highlights impermanence and the humbling force of circumstance, a reminder to ground valor in steadiness rather than external status.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where many renowned chariot-fighters have lost their chariots. Despite still wearing armor and rich ornaments, they are forced to move on foot and scatter, revealing a moment of disarray and reversal amid the Kurukṣetra fighting.