Shloka 15
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति उपालम्भः
Bhīṣma’s Reproof to Duryodhana
शरशव्त्यूष्टिनाराचैर्निघ्नन्तो गजयोधिन: । भिन्दिपालैस्तथा शूलैर्मुद्गरैः सपरश्वधै:
sañjaya uvāca | śaraśaktyūṣṭhinārācair nighnanto gajayodhinaḥ | bhindipālaiś tathā śūlair mudgaraiḥ saparaśvadhaiḥ ||
قال سنجيا: «إنّ المحاربين الذين يقاتلون من فوق الفيلة كانوا يصرعون خصومهم بالسهام والرماح القصيرة والهراوات الحديدية؛ وكذلك بالـbhindipāla وبالرماح وبالدبابيس وبالفؤوس. ويشي هذا المشهد بعنفٍ لا يلين، متعددِ الأسلحة، حيث تُسخَّر المهارة القتالية كلّها للهدم لا للكفّ.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how, in war, power and skill manifest as relentless harm through many instruments. In ethical reflection, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya warfare as duty and the tragic human cost of unrestrained violence.
Sañjaya reports intense fighting in which elephant-mounted warriors are striking down opponents using a range of weapons—arrows, javelins, heavy clubs, darts, spears, maces, and axes—emphasizing the ferocity and variety of combat on the battlefield.