Shloka 76
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
ततो हता नररथवाजिकुगञ्जरै- रनेकशो द्विपरथपत्तिवाजिन: । गजैर्गजा रथिभिरुदायुधा रथा हयै्हया: पत्तिगणैश्नल पत्तय:,उस समय पैदल, रथी, घुड़सवार और हाथीसवारोंके द्वारा बहुत-से हाथीसवार, रथी, पैदल और घुड़सवार मारे गये। हाथियोंने हाथियोंको, रथियोंने शस्त्र उठाये हुए रथियोंको, घुड़सवारोंने घुड़सवारोंको और पैदल योद्धाओंने पैदल योद्धाओंको मार गिराया
tato hatā nara-ratha-vāji-kuñjarair anekaśo dvipa-ratha-patti-vājinaḥ | gajair gajā rathibhir udāyudhā rathā hayair hayāḥ patti-gaṇaiś ca pattayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, in great numbers, foot-soldiers, chariot-warriors, horsemen, and elephant-riders were slain—each arm of the host striking down its counterpart. Elephants felled elephants; charioteers cut down charioteers with weapons raised; horsemen brought down horsemen; and companies of infantry overthrew infantry.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim symmetry of war: each military arm destroys its counterpart, revealing how combat reduces persons to categories (infantry, cavalry, chariots, elephants) and multiplies suffering. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the heavy human cost that such valor entails.
Sañjaya reports a phase of intense fighting in which large numbers are killed. The description is structured by matched engagements—elephants against elephants, charioteers against charioteers, horsemen against horsemen, and infantry against infantry—conveying the scale and organized ferocity of the battlefield.