Shloka 48
Droṇa’s Renewed Advance toward Yudhiṣṭhira; Fall of Satyajit and Allied Recoil (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरप्रेप्सा—सत्यजितः पतनम्)
ताडितास्ताड्यमानाशक्ष तोमरघ्टथिपरश्वथै: । पेतुरार्तस्वनं कृत्वा तदा विशसने गजा:,उस समय बहुत-से हाथी उस युद्धस्थलमें तोमर, ऋष्टि तथा फरसोंकी मार खाकर घायल हो आर्तनाद करके धरतीपर गिर जाते थे
tāḍitās tāḍyamānāś ca tomara-ṛṣṭi-paraśvadhaiḥ | petur ārta-svanaṃ kṛtvā tadā viśasane gajāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck again and again by tomaras, spears, and battle-axes, many elephants—wounded and overwhelmed—cried out in anguish and then collapsed upon the earth on that field of slaughter. The scene underscores the brutal cost of war, where even mighty creatures become helpless victims amid unchecked violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the strongest beings suffer and perish, reminding the listener that violence brings widespread pain beyond the primary combatants and that dharma in warfare must be weighed against its human and non-human cost.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where elephants, struck by javelins, spears, and axes, cry out in agony and collapse, emphasizing the intensity and carnage of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.