Shloka 16
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति उपालम्भः
Bhīṣma’s Reproof to Duryodhana
भिन्नकुम्भान् विरुधिरान् भिन्नगात्रांश्ष वारणान्
bhinnakumbhān virudhirān bhinnagātrāṃś ca vāraṇān
Sañjaya said: “(He beheld) elephants with their temples split open and streaming with blood, and others with limbs shattered—an image of the battle’s ruthless violence, where the cost of war is borne by living beings as much as by warriors.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of war: even powerful war-elephants are reduced to suffering bodies. It implicitly invites ethical reflection on the human and non-human cost of conflict, even when fought under the banner of duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, highlighting elephants whose temples are split and bleeding and whose limbs are broken—vivid details that convey the intensity and devastation of the fighting.