Shloka 35
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
नानाविधानि शस्त्राणि प्रगृह्य जयगृद्धिन: । जीवन्त इव दृश्यन्ते गतसत्त्वास्तरस्विन:,“विजयकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले वेगशाली वीर सैनिक हाथोंमें नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र- शस्त्र लिये प्राणशून्य हो गये हैं तो भी जीवित-से दिखायी देते हैं
nānāvidhāni śastrāṇi pragṛhya jayagṛddhinaḥ | jīvanta iva dṛśyante gatasattvāstarasvinaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“那些迅捷的勇士，被胜利的贪欲所驱使，虽已失却生气，却仿佛仍然活着——因为他们倒卧在地，手中仍紧握着各式兵器。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic irony of war: the drive for victory can so dominate a person that even in death the body appears ‘still fighting,’ weapons clenched. It implicitly warns against jayagṛddhi—victory-obsession—which eclipses discernment and leads to destruction, reminding the listener of the impermanence of life and the ethical cost of unchecked ambition.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene: swift fighters who sought victory now lie dead, yet they look almost alive because they still hold various weapons. The description intensifies the horror and immediacy of the carnage in Karṇa Parva.