Mahabharata 9.19.54 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 19, Shloka 54
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
निकृत्तं विबभौ रौद्रं घोररूपं भयावहम् | ध्वज और पताकाओंसे आच्छादित पैदलोंकी वह विशाल सेना छिन्न-भिन्न होकर रौद्र, घोर एवं भयानक प्रतीत होती थी ।। ५३ ई ।। युधिष्ठिरपुरोगाश्व॒ सहसैन्या महारथा:
nikṛttaṃ vibabhau raudraṃ ghorarūpaṃ bhayāvaham | yudhiṣṭhirapurogāś ca sahasainyā mahārathāḥ |
সঞ্জয় বললেন—সেই বাহিনী কেটে ছিন্নভিন্ন হয়ে রৌদ্র, ঘোররূপী ও ভয়ংকর বলে প্রতীয়মান হচ্ছিল। আর যুধিষ্ঠিরকে অগ্রে রেখে, বিপুল সেনাসহ মহারথীরা অগ্রসর হল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war strips away outward splendor and exposes a terrifying reality: once an army is broken, banners and status cannot hide the ethical and human cost. It implicitly warns that violence, even when undertaken as duty, carries a grim aftermath that demands sober moral reflection.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the infantry host has been cut to pieces and looks dreadful and fearsome. In the same breath, he notes the advance of the great warriors with Yudhiṣṭhira at their head, supported by a large force, indicating a renewed movement of the Pāṇḍava side amid the devastation.
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