Shloka 4
रथै्हया हयैरनागा: पादातैश्वापि कुज्जरा: । हयै्हया: समाजग्मु: पादाताश्न पदातिभि:,रथोंसे घोड़े, घोड़ोंसे हाथी, पैदलोंसे हाथीसवार, घोड़ोंसे घोड़े तथा पैदलोंसे पैदल भिड़ गये
rathaiḥ hayā hayair anāgāḥ pādātaiś cāpi kuñjarāḥ | hayā hayāḥ samājagmuḥ pādātāś ca padātibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that tumult of battle, chariots crashed against horses; horses surged against elephants; elephants met the foot-soldiers; horses collided with horses; and footmen grappled with footmen. Thus the armies closed in, each arm of the host striking its counterpart, as the violence of war erased all distance and restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it underscores how, once war is unleashed, all arms of an army—chariots, cavalry, elephants, and infantry—are drawn into indiscriminate collision. Ethically, it functions as a reminder of war’s consuming nature, where ordered formations and personal restraint quickly give way to chaotic mutual harm.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the opposing forces have fully closed ranks and engaged at close quarters: chariots strike cavalry, cavalry meets elephants, elephants press into foot-soldiers, and like meets like (horse with horse, footman with footman). It depicts the moment of general mêlée in the Drona Parva battle.