Shloka 346
पजञ्चविंशतिसाहस्रा: कालमार्छन् पदातय: । बहुतोंके रथ नष्ट हो गये और कितने ही बाणोंकी मारसे अत्यन्त घायल हो गये। इस प्रकार पचीस हजार पैदल सैनिक कालके गालमें चले गये
pañcaviṁśatisāhasrāḥ kālam ārchan padātayaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: Fünfundzwanzigtausend Fußsoldaten gingen in den Rachen des Todes. Viele Wagen wurden zerstört, und viele Krieger durch Pfeilsalven schwer verwundet—so wurden gewaltige Mengen von der unerbittlichen Gewalt des Krieges verschlungen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical vision that war, once unleashed, becomes governed by Kāla (Time/Death), consuming masses indiscriminately; it warns of the catastrophic human cost that follows from adharma-driven conflict and unchecked martial fury.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that in the ongoing battle a huge number of infantry—twenty-five thousand—have been killed, with many chariots destroyed and many fighters severely wounded by arrows, conveying the scale and intensity of the slaughter.