Shloka 4
अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle
कमलदिनकरेन्दुसंनि भै: सितदशनै: सुमुखाक्षिनासिक: । रुचिरमुकुटकुण्डलैर्मही पुरुषशिरोभिरुपस्तृता बभौ
sañjaya uvāca |
kamala-dinakarendu-sannibhaiḥ sita-daśanaiḥ sumukha-akṣi-nāsikaiḥ |
rucira-mukuṭa-kuṇḍalaiḥ mahī-puruṣa-śirobhir upastṛtā babhau ||
三阇耶说道：那时，战场上遍布人头，竟呈现出一种诡异而可怖的华彩。那些勇士被斩下的首级，光泽如莲，如日，如月；洁白的牙齿闪烁，面容——仍具眼与鼻——似乎尚存姣好，又佩着精美的冠冕与耳饰。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical dissonance of war: beauty (lotus-, sun-, moon-like radiance; ornaments) becomes grotesque when attached to death. It implicitly warns that violence can distort values, making even splendor a sign of moral catastrophe.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scene on the battlefield: the ground is covered with severed heads of warriors, still bearing crowns and earrings, creating an eerie, dreadful 'splendor' amid carnage.