Shloka 156
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
विषाणैश्चावनिं गत्वा व्यभिन्दन् रथिनो बहून् । दूसरे हाथियोंने भी दूसरे बहुत-से गिरे हुए मनुष्यों-को अपने पैरोंसे रौंद डाला। अपने दाँतोंसे धरतीपर आघात करके बहुत-से रथियोंको चीर डाला
viṣāṇaiś cāvaniṃ gatvā vyabhindan rathino bahūn |
Sañjaya said: Striking down to the earth with their horns, the beasts tore through many chariot-warriors. Other elephants, trampling the fallen underfoot and gouging the ground with their tusks, crushed and split apart numerous fighters—an image of war’s unchecked ferocity where strength, once unleashed, overwhelms restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral cost of war: once violence is unleashed, even instruments of power (like war-elephants) become indiscriminate, crushing the fallen and eroding compassion—prompting reflection on restraint and the limits of righteous warfare.
Sañjaya describes a chaotic battlefield scene in which elephants (and/or horned attackers) gore and split many chariot-warriors; others trample fallen men and strike the ground with tusks, intensifying the carnage.