Shloka 16
मत्तो गज: पर्यवर्तद्धयांश्व॒ हतसादिन:,जिघांसन्तं युधां श्रेष्ठ तदा55सीत् तुमुलं महत् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! पाण्डवपक्षके लाखों क्षत्रियशिरोमणि महारथी विराट सेनापति शूरवीर श्वेतको आगे करके आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको अपना बल दिखाते हुए शिखण्डीको सामने रखकर भीष्मके सुवर्णभूषित रथपर चढ़ आये। भारत! वे महारथी श्लेतकी रक्षा करना चाहते थे। इसलिये उसे मारनेकी इच्छावाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मपर उन्होंने धावा किया। उस समय बड़ा भयंकर युद्ध छिड़ गया
sañjaya uvāca | matto gajaḥ paryavartad dhayāṁś ca hatasādinaḥ, jighāṁsantaṁ yudhāṁ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṁ mahat |
Sañjaya said: “O King, the elephants, maddened in the press of battle, wheeled about, and the horses—many with their riders slain—ran in confusion. As the warriors surged forward with the intent to strike down the foremost of fighters, a vast and dreadful tumult of war arose.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity and uncontrollable momentum of war: once violence is unleashed, even disciplined forces (elephants, horses, chariots) fall into confusion, and the intent to kill becomes the driving force—highlighting the ethical cost of battle despite kṣatriya ideals.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the battlefield has become chaotic: maddened elephants wheel about, riderless or bereft-of-rider horses scatter, and warriors press forward with lethal intent against a foremost champion, causing a great tumult to erupt.