Shloka 74
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमै राड्कवैर्मुदितैस्तथा । नरेन्द्रचूडामणिभिर्विचित्रैश्व महाधनै:
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvāstara-paristomai rāḍkavair muditais tathā |
narendra-cūḍāmaṇibhir vicitraiś ca mahādhanaiḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“到处散落着战阵的装具——马的鞍具与覆饰——以及用柔细的r̥ṅku鹿皮制成、原本铺在马背上的软垫，如今被践踏在脚下，沾满尘土。其旁又有华饰的箭矢，仿佛如水倾倒般遍地散陈；还有那曾镶嵌于诸王冠冕之中的珍贵斑斓宝石，如今坠落四散——一幅王者荣华被战斗摧折成废墟的景象。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power: royal insignia and wealth—crowns, gems, fine gear—are rendered meaningless when war reduces them to scattered debris. It implicitly warns that pride in status and possessions is unstable, especially amid adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene after intense fighting: horse equipment, soft coverings made from deer hide, and valuable crown-gems are lying trampled and dispersed everywhere, conveying the scale of destruction and the fall of royal grandeur.