Shloka 2736
सवाजिरथमातज्ा मृत्युलोकमितो गता: । 'पाण्डुनन्दन! पार्थ! इस प्रकार महाभयंकर युद्ध आरम्भ होनेपर तुम्हारे और भीमसेनके सामने आकर बहुत-से कौरव-सैनिक घोड़े, रथ और हाथियोंसहित यहाँसे यमलोक पधार गये
sa-vājiratha-mātaṅgā mṛtyulokam ito gatāḥ | pāṇḍunandana pārtha! evaṃ mahābhayaṅkare yuddhe ārabdhe tava bhīmasenasya ca sammukham āgatya bahavaḥ kaurava-sainikā aśva-ratha-hasti-sahitā iha-sthānād yama-lokaṃ padhāritāḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: „O Sohn des Pāṇḍu, o Pārtha! Als diese überaus schreckliche Schlacht begann, gingen viele Kaurava-Krieger, die dir und Bhīmasena von Angesicht zu Angesicht begegneten, aus dieser Welt in Yamas Reich hinüber — samt ihren Pferden, Wagen und Elefanten.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grave moral weight of war: when battle becomes ‘mahābhayaṅkara’ (terrifying), death follows swiftly and indiscriminately, carrying away not only warriors but also the animals and instruments of war. It implicitly highlights the kṣatriya-world’s harsh reality—valor and confrontation lead to irreversible consequences.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the dreadful fighting begins, many Kaurava troops, after confronting Arjuna (Pārtha) and Bhīma directly, are killed and ‘go from this mortal world to Yama’s realm,’ along with their horses, chariots, and elephants.