Shloka 39
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
नागराजोपमैहस्तैनगिराक्षिप्य संयुगे | व्यदृश्यन्त महाराज सम्भग्ना रथकूबरा:
nāgarājopamaiḥ hastair nagirākṣipya saṁyuge | vyadṛśyanta mahārāja sambhagnā rathakūbarāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: O großer König, mitten im Kampf, mit Händen wie die des Schlangenherrn, packten sie die Streitwagen und schleuderten sie fort; und man sah viele Deichseln und Wagenstangen zerborsten und gebrochen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war, even when framed as kṣatriya duty, manifests as tangible devastation—broken chariots and ruined instruments—inviting reflection on the ethical weight and consequences of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that in the battle warriors of immense strength seized and hurled chariots, and many chariot-poles were seen shattered on the battlefield.