Shloka 83
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
द्विपान द्विपगतांश्वैव हयान् हयगतानपि । तथा स रथिनश्वैव न्यहन् रुद्र: पशूनिव,जैसे संहारकारी रुद्र समस्त प्राणियोंका विनाश कर डालते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन्होंने हाथियों और हाथीसवारोंको, घोड़ों और घुड़सवारोंको तथा रथों एवं रथियोंको भी नष्ट कर दिया
dvipān dvipagatāṁś caiva hayān hayagatān api | tathā sa rathinaś caiva nyahan rudraḥ paśūn iva ||
Sañjaya said: He struck down elephants and their riders, horses and their mounted warriors, and likewise chariot-fighters with their chariots—just as the destructive Rudra brings living beings to ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can become a force of sheer annihilation, likened to Rudra’s destructive power. Ethically, it invites reflection on the tension between kṣatriya duty in battle and the frightening ease with which mass killing can appear ‘natural’ or ‘cosmic,’ risking the eclipse of compassion and restraint.
Sañjaya reports that a formidable warrior is cutting down multiple divisions—elephants with riders, horses with riders, and chariots with their fighters—so relentlessly that his action is compared to Rudra destroying creatures.