Shloka 77
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
ग्रहनक्षत्रशबला द्यौरिवासीद् वसुन्धरा । इधर-उधर गिरे हुए राजाओंके छत्र
sañjaya uvāca | grahanakṣatraśabalā dyaur ivāsīd vasundharā | idhara-udhara gire hue rājāoṃ ke chatra, caṃvara, vyajana, vīra-yoddhāoṃ ke manohara kuṇḍaloṃ se vibhūṣita, kamala evaṃ candramā ke samāna kāntimān tathā mūṃchoṃ se yukta atyanta alaṅkṛta kaṭe hue mastaka—jinmeṃ sone ke sundara kuṇḍala jagamagā rahe the—pheṅke hue-se paṛe the | mahārāja! in sab vastuoṃ se ācchādita huī vahāṃ kī bhūmi grahoṃ aur nakṣatroṃ se bhare hue ākāśa ke samāna vicitra śobhā dhāraṇa kara rahī thī || 75–76 ha || evam ete mahāsene mṛdite tatra bhārata
三阇耶说道：“大地宛如布满行星与星辰的苍穹，斑驳而奇丽。此处彼处，诸王的伞盖、牦尾拂（chāmara）与诸般扇具散落其间；又有勇士被斩落的首级——光辉如莲如月，髭须犹在，饰物繁盛——仿佛弃物般横陈，头上那精美的金耳环仍闪烁不息。大王啊，地面为这些物件所覆盖，竟呈现出一种诡异的华彩，恰似天穹充满行星与星座。于是，婆罗多啊，当那大军在彼处被碾碎之时……”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the impermanence of worldly power: royal insignia (parasols, whisks, fans) and bodily beauty (ornaments, radiant faces) become mere debris on the battlefield. The ethical weight lies in recognizing how war reduces status and splendor to lifeless objects, prompting reflection on dharma, restraint, and the true cost of kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a gruesome battlefield scene: the ground is strewn with fallen kings’ emblems and with severed, ornamented heads of warriors. He uses a cosmic simile—earth resembling a sky filled with planets and stars—to convey the eerie, variegated ‘splendor’ created by scattered bright objects amid destruction, as the great army has been crushed.