Shloka 30
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
अक्षाणामथ चक्राणां योक्त्राणां रश्मिभि: सह । कूबराणां वरूथाणां पूषत्कानां च संयुगे
akṣāṇām atha cakrāṇāṁ yoktrāṇāṁ raśmibhiḥ saha | kūbarāṇāṁ varūthānāṁ pūṣatkānāṁ ca saṁyuge
Sañjaya sprach: In jener Schlacht wurden Achsen und Räder, Joche samt Zügeln, Deichseln, Schutzbeschläge und auch die Wagenwachen—allesamt im Getümmel zerschlagen und auseinandergerissen. Das Bild macht deutlich: Der Krieg trifft nicht nur die Kämpfer; er vernichtet auch die Stützen und Geräte, die menschliches Vorhaben tragen, und enthüllt die unerbittliche, unterschiedslose Verwüstung, die folgt, wenn man den Konflikt umarmt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate destructiveness of war: not only people but also the supports and instruments of action (chariots and their fittings) are broken. Ethically, it invites reflection on how conflict consumes both ends and means, leaving ruin in its wake.
Sañjaya is narrating the intensity of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva. The clash is so fierce that chariot components—axles, wheels, yokes, reins, poles, and protective fittings—are being smashed and torn apart on the battlefield.