बाहुभिश् चरणैश् छिन्नैः शिरोभिश् चारुकुण्डलैः ॥
कार्मुकैर् विशिखैः प्रासैः खड्गैः परशुपट्टिशैः ॥
नालीकक्षुरनाराचैर् नखरैः शक्तितोमरैः ॥
अन्यैश् च विविधाकारैर् धौतैः प्रहरणोत्तमैः ॥
चित्रैश् च विविधाकारैः शरीरावरणैर् अपि ॥
विचित्रैश् च रथैर् भग्नैर् हतैश् च गजवाजिभिः ॥
शून्यैश् च नगराकारैर् हतयोधध्वजै रथैः ॥
अमनुष्यैर् हयैस् त्रस्तैः कृष्यमाणैस् ततस् ततः ॥
bāhubhiś caraṇaiś chinnaiḥ śirobhiś cārukuṇḍalaiḥ ||
kārmukair viśikhaiḥ prāsaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ paraśupaṭṭiśaiḥ ||
nālīkakṣuranārācair nakharaiḥ śaktitomaraiḥ ||
anyaiś ca vividhākārair dhautaiḥ praharaṇottamaiḥ ||
citraiś ca vividhākāraiḥ śarīrāvaraṇair api ||
vicitraiś ca rathair bhagnair hataiś ca gajavājibhiḥ ||
śūnyaiś ca nagarākārair hatayodhadhvajai rathaiḥ ||
amanuṣyair hayais trastaiḥ kṛṣyamāṇais tatas tataḥ ||
With severed arms and legs, with heads in beautiful earrings, with bows, arrows, lances, swords, axes, pattishas; with tubular, razor-edged, and iron arrows, with claws, spears, and javelins, and with others of various kinds, polished weapons of the finest make; with wondrous and various armor, and with wondrous broken chariots, and slain elephants and horses; and with empty chariots shaped like cities, bearing slain warriors and banners, and empty, terrified horses being dragged here and there...
95a9df9e8fd1 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
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A long inventory scattered across the field — severed limbs, weapons, broken chariots "like emptied cities." It is telling, this comparison of an abandoned chariot with a deserted city: a small ruin becomes the image of great desolation. The verse teaches that war leaves behind a wasteland of wrecked lives; and every empty chariot, dragged by maddened horses, is a small monument to the universal ruin into which strife turns a flourishing world.