Shloka 12
Chapter 7: Dvīpa–Varṣa–Meru-varṇana
Description of the Dvīpa, Varṣas, and Mount Meru
भारुण्डा नाम शकुनास्तीक्षणतुण्डा महाबला: । तान् निर्हरन्तीह मृतान् दरीषु प्रक्षिपन्ति च
bhāruṇḍā nāma śakunās tīkṣṇatuṇḍā mahābalāḥ | tān nirharantīha mṛtān darīṣu prakṣipanti ca ||
三阇耶说道：“此地有一种名为婆噜ṇḍa（Bhāruṇḍa）的鸟，力大无比，喙如剃刃般锋利。它们衔走死者，将尸身抛入山岩的裂隙深罅之中。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing consequence of war: when large-scale killing occurs, the dead are treated as refuse, and nature’s scavengers take over. It functions as a moral intensifier—reminding the listener that adharma-driven conflict leads to a world where dignity and order are lost.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying landscape where powerful birds called Bhāruṇḍas, with sharp beaks, pick up the bodies of the slain and throw them into ravines or rocky clefts—an image of the battlefield’s aftermath and its horror.