Shloka 35
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
शीर्षोपलसमाकीर्णा हस्तिग्राहसमाकुला । कवचोष्णीषफेनौघा धरनुर्वेगासिकच्छपा
sañjaya uvāca |
śīrṣopalasa-mākīrṇā hastigrāha-samākulā |
kavacoṣṇīṣa-phenaughā dhanu-rvega-āsikacchapā ||
三阇耶说道：“战场宛如暴涨的洪河：断首散落如碎石；群象拥挤，恰似巨鳄；铠甲与头巾翻涌如泡沫堆；弓成其迅疾的水势，而剑则如河中游动的龟。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not give a direct moral injunction; instead it teaches through stark imagery: war, even when framed as kṣatriya duty, becomes a consuming flood that reduces persons and symbols of honor (armor, turbans) to debris. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sañjaya is narrating the Kurukṣetra battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Here he depicts the battlefield as a torrent-like scene: severed heads lie scattered like stones; elephants appear like crocodiles; armor and turbans resemble foam; bows are the rushing current; and swords move like turtles—conveying the chaos and ferocity of the fighting.