Shloka 196
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
तावकानां परेषां च निध्नतामितरेतरम् | तदनन्तर एक-दूसरेपर प्रहार करते हुए आपके और शत्रुपक्षके सैनिकोंका घोर युद्ध आरम्भ हो गया, जिसमें रथसे रथ और हाथीसे हाथी भिड़ गये थे
tāvakānāṁ pareṣāṁ ca nighnatām itaretaram |
Sañjaya said: As your warriors and the opposing host struck one another down, a dreadful battle flared up at once—chariot crashing against chariot and elephant meeting elephant—each side intent on overpowering the other in the relentless momentum of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the mutuality and escalation of violence in war—each side striking the other—implying the ethical gravity of conflict where destruction becomes reciprocal and impersonal once battle is joined.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after the armies engage, a fierce general battle begins, with close-quarters clashes—chariot against chariot and elephant against elephant—as both Kauravas and their opponents attack each other.