Shloka 213
गजेनाक्षिप्य बलिना रथ: संचूर्णित: क्षितौ | कितने ही वीरोंकी भुजाएँ तलवारसहित काट गिरायी गयीं, कितनोंके कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तक धड़से अलग कर दिये गये। कहीं किसी बलवान् हाथीने रथको उठाकर फेंक दिया और वह पृथ्वीपर गिरकर चूर-चूर हो गया
gajenākṣipya balinā rathaḥ sañcūrṇitaḥ kṣitau |
Sañjaya said: A powerful elephant hurled the chariot down, and it was smashed to pieces upon the earth. In that same slaughter, many heroes’ arms—still gripping their swords—were severed and cast down; many heads, adorned with earrings, were cut clean from their bodies. Elsewhere too, a mighty elephant lifted a chariot and flung it away, so that it fell to the ground and was shattered—an image of war’s ruthless force, where valor and ornament alike are made equal before death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of bodily power and worldly splendor in war: strength, weapons, and ornaments cannot shield anyone from destruction. It implicitly warns against attachment and highlights the grim cost that accompanies kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya describes intense fighting where a powerful elephant hurls a chariot to the ground, crushing it. Simultaneously, warriors are dismembered—arms with swords are cut off and heads with earrings are severed—depicting the chaotic, brutal momentum of the battle.