Shloka 11
Nakula’s Engagement with Citra-sena and Karṇa’s Sons; Śalya Re-stabilizes the Kaurava Host
पादातानवमृद्नन्तो रथवारणवाजिन: । रणमध्ये व्यदृश्यन्त कुर्वन्तोी महदाकुलम्,समरांगणके बीच बहुत-से रथ, हाथी और घोड़े पैदल योद्धाओंको कुचलते तथा सबको अत्यन्त व्याकुल करते हुए दृष्टिगोचर होते थे
pādātān avamṛdnanto rathavāraṇavājinaḥ | raṇamadhye vyadṛśyanta kurvanto mahad ākulam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Kampf sah man Wagen, Elefanten und Pferde die Fußsoldaten niedertrampeln und das Feld in große Verwirrung stürzen—ein Bild der zermalmenden Wucht des Krieges, in dem die Kampfmaschinen der Starken die Verwundbaren überwältigen und Unordnung durch die Reihen läuft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal asymmetry of war: powerful war-units (chariots, elephants, horses) crush vulnerable foot-soldiers, producing widespread turmoil. Ethically, it highlights how battle, even when framed within kṣatriya-duty, unleashes suffering and disorder that engulf combatants indiscriminately.
Sañjaya describes the scene in the thick of combat: chariots, elephants, and horses surge through the battlefield, trampling infantry and creating intense confusion and panic across the fighting lines.