Shloka 156
शरार्तैविंद्रुतैनगि्ता: केचिद् दिशो दश । कितने ही योद्धा घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बैठे, परंतु उनका आधा आसन खिसक गया और उसी अवस्थामें घोड़ोंक साथ खिंचे चले गये। कुछ लोग नाराचोंकी मार खाकर अपने आसनसे भ्रष्ट हो हाथियोंके कंधोंसे चिपक गये थे और उसी अवस्थामें बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो भागते हुए हाथी उन्हें दसों दिशाओंमें लिये जाते थे
śarārtair indruta-nagītāḥ kecid diśo daśa |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: Some warriors, struck and tormented by arrows, were dragged helplessly in all ten directions. Many remained seated on horseback, yet their seat had slipped halfway, and in that precarious state they were pulled along with their horses. Others, hit by the force of nārāca arrows, lost their proper posture and clung to the shoulders of elephants; and as those wounded elephants fled in panic, they carried the men—still pierced and suffering—scattering them across every quarter.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing force of war: once violence and panic take hold, even skilled warriors lose control, dignity, and agency. It implicitly cautions that the fruits of battle are suffering and disorder, urging ethical reflection even within the frame of kṣatriya duty.
Yudhiṣṭhira narrates a chaotic battlefield scene: wounded fighters are dragged as their seats slip on horses, while others cling to fleeing elephants after being struck by nārāca arrows; the panicked animals carry them in all directions.