Shloka 23
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
बभज्ज च सहस्राणि दश राज्ञां महात्मनाम् | सृजतामशिवा वाच: खड्गकार्मुकधारिणाम्,इसके बाद अशुभ वचन बोलनेवाले तथा खड्ग एवं धनुष धारण करनेवाले दस हजार महामनस्वी राजाओंका भी उसने संहार कर डाला
babhajja ca sahasrāṇi daśa rājñāṁ mahātmanām | sṛjatām aśivā vācaḥ khaḍga-kārmuka-dhāriṇām ||
Sañjaya sprach: Danach zerschmetterte und erschlug er auch zehntausend hochgesinnte Könige—Krieger mit Schwert und Bogen—die unheilvolle, grausame Rufe ausstießen. Die Stelle macht deutlich, wie im Rausch der Schlacht harte Rede und gewaltsamer Wille die bewaffnete Aggression begleiten und wie das Massenschlachten zur düsteren Folge einer von adharma getriebenen Feindschaft wird.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: armed aggression joined with cruel, ill-omened speech leads to catastrophic destruction. It implicitly warns that inner hostility (expressed as aśivā vācaḥ) and outward violence reinforce each other, accelerating adharma and its consequences.
Sañjaya reports that a powerful warrior (implied by context) overwhelms the battlefield, crushing even a vast contingent—ten thousand noble kings—who are armed with swords and bows and are shouting harsh, inauspicious words as they fight.