Shloka 61
सपताकाश्च मातज्ा दिशो जग्मु: शरातुरा: । क्षत्रियाश्व मनुष्येन्द्र गदाशक्तिधनुर्धरा:
sapatākāś ca mātaṅgā diśo jagmuḥ śarāturāḥ | kṣatriyāś ca manuṣyendra gadāśakti-dhanur-dharāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Elephants, their bodies tormented by arrows, fled in all directions. And the kṣatriya warriors too, O lord of men—bearing maces, spears, and bows—were thrown into confusion and scattered.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark consequences of warfare: even the mightiest instruments of battle—elephants and armed kṣatriyas—can be driven into disorder by suffering. It implicitly cautions that martial power is fragile when confronted with pain and fear, reminding the listener that war tests not only strength but steadiness of mind and discipline.
Sañjaya reports to the king that, under intense arrow-fire, war-elephants panic and run in all directions. Along with them, kṣatriya fighters carrying maces, spears, and bows also scatter, indicating a moment of battlefield rout and confusion.