Shloka 20
क्रोडै: कोडानभिष्नन्तो घोणाभिश्न परस्परम् | निपेतु: सहसा राजन् सुवेगाभिहता भुवि,राजन! वे घोड़े महासागरमें उड़नेवाले हंसोंके समान सहसा उछले और आपके मनके समान वेगशाली अश्वोंके समुदायमें पहुँचकर छातीसे उनकी छातीमें तथा नासिकासे एक- दूसरेकी नासिकापर चोट करने लगे। वे सहसा वेगपूर्वक टकराकर पृथ्वीपर गिरते थे
sañjaya uvāca | kroḍaiḥ koḍān abhiṣṇanto ghoṇābhiś ca parasparam | nipetuḥ sahasā rājan suvegābhihatā bhuvi ||
Sañjaya said: O King, striking one another with their chests and butting nose to nose, the horses collided in close combat. Smitten by the force of their own swift rush, they suddenly fell upon the earth—an image of war’s uncontrolled momentum, where speed and pride turn into ruin in an instant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how in war, sheer speed and aggression can rebound upon the aggressor: uncontrolled force becomes self-destructive, reminding the listener that violence often carries its own immediate consequences.
Sanjaya describes a chaotic moment in the Kurukshetra battle where horses, rushing into opposing ranks, collide chest-to-chest and muzzle-to-muzzle, and then, overwhelmed by the impact and momentum, suddenly tumble to the ground.