Shloka 25
पाट्यमानेषु कुम्भेषु पाश्चेष्वपि च वारणा: । प्रासैविनिहता: केचिद् विनेदु: परमातुरा:,कितने ही हाथी प्रासोंकी चोट खाकर कुम्भस्थल और पार्श्वभागोंके विदीर्ण हो जानेपर अत्यन्त आतुर हो घोर चिग्घाड़ मचा रहे थे
pāṭyamāneṣu kumbheṣu pārśveṣv api ca vāraṇāḥ | prāsair vinihatāḥ kecid vineduḥ paramāturāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As their temples and flanks were being split open, some elephants—struck down by spears—cried out in terrible agony, raising a dreadful clamour amid the slaughter of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark battlefield vignette: even mighty war-elephants suffer intensely when pierced by weapons. It underscores the grave human-and-animal cost of war, implicitly inviting reflection on restraint, responsibility, and the heavy consequences that accompany kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that some elephants, struck by spears, had their temples and flanks torn open and, in extreme pain, roared loudly—adding to the terrifying din of the battle.