Shloka 59
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
तेषां सुतुमुलं युद्ध व्यतिषक्तरथद्धिपम् । अवर्तत महारीौद्रे निघध्नतामितरेतरम्,फिर तो एक-दूसरेपर प्रहार करते हुए उन सभी महारथियोमें अत्यन्त भयंकर तुमुल युद्ध होने लगा। रथोंसे रथ और हाथियोंसे हाथी भिड़ गये
teṣāṁ sutumulaṁ yuddhaṁ vyatiṣakta-ratha-dvipam | avartata mahāraudre nighnatām itaretaram ||
Sañjaya said: Among them there arose an exceedingly tumultuous battle—chariots and elephants intermingled in close clash. In that great and dreadful fury of war, they struck one another down without pause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying momentum of war: once collective fury is unleashed, combat becomes mutual destruction, where instruments of power (chariots, elephants) entangle and ethical restraint is hard to maintain—highlighting the grave cost of adharma-driven conflict even within a kṣatriya setting.
Sañjaya describes the battle intensifying into a chaotic mêlée: chariots collide with chariots and elephants with elephants, and the warriors, locked together at close quarters, strike each other down in a dreadful, roaring combat.