Shloka 18
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
हतांश्वैव विदीर्णाश्ष विप्रकीर्णाक्ष शंससि । रथिनो विरथांश्वैव कृतान् युद्धेषु मामकान्,सभी युद्धोंमें मेरे पक्षके रथियोंको तुम हताहत, छिन्न-भिन्न, तितर-बितर तथा रथहीन हुआ ही बता रहे हो
sañjaya uvāca | hatān aśvān eva vidīrṇān ca viprakīrṇān ca śaṃsasi | rathino virathān caiva kṛtān yuddheṣu māmakān ||
Sañjaya said: “You keep reporting that in the battles my side’s chariot-warriors have had their horses slain, have been torn apart, scattered in confusion, and have been reduced to fighting without their chariots.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of war: even elite warriors are reduced to helplessness when their supports—horses, chariots, formation—are destroyed. It highlights how quickly martial status collapses under violence, inviting reflection on the cost of adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, summarizing repeated reports of Kaurava losses: their chariot-fighters are being killed or incapacitated, their horses slain, their ranks scattered, and many are left without chariots amid the fighting.