Shloka 80
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
गजा हया: पदाताश्ष विमिश्रा दन्तिभिहता: । रथाश्वा दन्तिनश्वैव पत्तिभिस्तत्र सूदिता:,राजन्! आपके और पाण्डवोंके सैनिकोंके उस संकुल युद्धमें दोनों पक्षोंके मिले हुए हाथी, घोड़े और पैदल दन्तार हाथियोंद्वारा मारे गये। रथ, घोड़े और हाथियोंको पैदल योद्धाओंने मार गिराया तथा बहुत-से पैदल, रथियोंके समूह और घुड़सवार रथी योद्धाओंके द्वारा मार डाले गये
sañjaya uvāca |
gajā hayāḥ padātāś ca vimiśrā dantibhir hatāḥ |
rathāśvā dantinaś caiva pattibhis tatra sūditāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that densely entangled battle between your forces and the Pāṇḍavas’, elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers—mingled together in confusion—were cut down by elephant-warriors. There, chariots, horses, and even elephants were also struck down by infantry. Thus, in the mutual slaughter, each arm of the army became the destroyer of another, revealing the grim, indiscriminate churn of war where strength and station offer no sure protection.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the chaotic and leveling nature of war: in the crush of battle, every military arm becomes both hunter and prey. Ethically, it highlights the tragic cost of conflict and the fragility of worldly power—rank, strength, and equipment do not guarantee safety when adharma-driven hostility escalates into indiscriminate slaughter.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the battlefield has become a dense mêlée. Elephants are killing mixed groups of elephants, horses, and infantry; meanwhile infantry also brings down chariots, horses, and even elephants. The description emphasizes mutual destruction across all units in the Kaurava–Pāṇḍava engagement.