Shloka 60
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
सतलन्रै: सकेयूरैर्बाहिभि श्रन्दनो क्षितै: । हस्तिहस्तोपमैश्छिन्नैरूरुभिश्न॒ तरस्विनाम्
sa-talanraiḥ sa-keyūraiḥ bāhubhiḥ śranda-no kṣitaiḥ | hastihastopamaiś chinnair ūrubhiś ca tarasvinām, bhārata |
桑阇耶说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，战场之地竟呈现出一种诡异的‘装饰’——散落着强悍勇士涂抹檀香的臂膀，仍戴着护手与臂钏（keyūra），又有被斩断的股腿，宛如象鼻一般。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of war: even when described with the language of beauty and ornament (‘adorned’ earth), the reality is dismemberment and death. It invites reflection on dharma—how kṣatriya glory and aestheticized heroism can conceal the ethical cost of violence and the impermanence of bodily pride and adornment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield is covered with the fallen bodies of powerful warriors—arms smeared with sandal paste and still wearing armlets and protective gear, and severed thighs compared to elephant trunks—creating a dreadful yet striking spectacle on the ground.