Shloka 61
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
सुसंनिकृष्टे संग्रामे भूयिष्ठे त्यक्तजीविता: । उस समय उस निकटवर्ती महायुद्धमें प्राणोंका मोह छोड़कर जूझनेवाले पाण्डवसेनाके रक्तरंजित घुड़सवार इस प्रकार बोले-- ।।
su-saṃnikṛṣṭe saṅgrāme bhūyiṣṭhe tyakta-jīvitāḥ | na hi śakyaṃ rathair yoddhuṃ kuta eva mahā-gajaiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als die Schlacht auf nächster Nähe zusammenschloss und der Kampf am heftigsten wütete, erklärten jene Krieger—die jede Bindung an das Leben abgelegt hatten—: „Hier ist es nicht möglich, mit Streitwagen zu kämpfen; wie viel weniger mit gewaltigen Elefanten!“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme close-quarters combat, ethical resolve (fearlessness and readiness to risk life) must be matched with practical discernment: certain weapons and formations—chariots and elephants—become ineffective or even harmful when the battlefield is too congested.
Sañjaya reports that as the fighting compresses into a tight melee, the combatants observe that the press of battle makes maneuvering impossible; they state that chariots cannot be used effectively, and therefore large elephants are even less workable in that situation.