Shloka 64
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
स जघान पदा कांद्रिद् व्याक्षिप्पान्यानपोथयत्
sa jaghāna padā kān cid vyākṣipya anyān apothayat | anyān asiṇā ciccheda anyān ghoraravena trāsayat anyān mahāvegāt pṛthivyāṃ nipātayām āsa ||
Sañjaya sprach: Einige Krieger zertrat er unter seinen Füßen zu Tode; andere schleuderte er empor und warf sie zu Boden; wieder andere hieb er mit dem Schwert nieder. Manche versetzte er mit seinem schrecklichen Brüllen in Angst, und andere schleuderte er mit seinem gewaltigen Ansturm auf die Erde—ein Bild entfesselter Kampfkraft, die über das Schlachtfeld hinwegfegt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it highlights how overwhelming force in war produces death and fear on many fronts—by physical might, weapons, and psychological terror—inviting reflection on the destructive momentum of battle and the human cost implicit in such displays of power.
Sañjaya reports a combatant’s rampage on the battlefield: he kills some by trampling, throws and smashes others, cuts down some with a sword, terrifies others with a fearsome roar, and hurls more to the ground through sheer speed and strength.