Shloka 28
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
बश्राम तत्र तत्रैव गाव: शीतार्दिता इव । पदातिन रथं नागं सादिनं तुरगं तथा
babhraṃśuḥ tatra tatraiva gāvaḥ śītārditā iva | padātīn rathaṃ nāgaṃ sādinaṃ turagaṃ tathā ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Hier und dort brachen sie an Ort und Stelle zusammen—wie Rinder, die von bitterer Kälte getroffen sind: Fußsoldaten, Wagen, Elefanten, Reiter und auch die Pferde.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate nature of wartime destruction: all ranks and even animals fall alike. Ethically, it presses the listener to recognize the immense suffering and moral burden that accompanies armed conflict.
Sañjaya reports that across the battlefield many were struck down and collapsed where they stood—infantry, chariots, elephants, horsemen, and horses—likened to cattle overcome by severe cold.