Shloka 23
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
बभज्ज च सहस्राणि दश राज्ञां महात्मनाम् | सृजतामशिवा वाच: खड्गकार्मुकधारिणाम्,इसके बाद अशुभ वचन बोलनेवाले तथा खड्ग एवं धनुष धारण करनेवाले दस हजार महामनस्वी राजाओंका भी उसने संहार कर डाला
babhajja ca sahasrāṇi daśa rājñāṁ mahātmanām | sṛjatām aśivā vācaḥ khaḍga-kārmuka-dhāriṇām ||
Sañjaya said: He shattered and slew ten thousand high-souled kings as well—warriors bearing swords and bows—who were hurling inauspicious, cruel cries. The passage underscores how, in the frenzy of battle, harsh speech and violent intent accompany armed aggression, and how mass slaughter becomes the grim consequence of adharma-driven hostility on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: armed aggression joined with cruel, ill-omened speech leads to catastrophic destruction. It implicitly warns that inner hostility (expressed as aśivā vācaḥ) and outward violence reinforce each other, accelerating adharma and its consequences.
Sañjaya reports that a powerful warrior (implied by context) overwhelms the battlefield, crushing even a vast contingent—ten thousand noble kings—who are armed with swords and bows and are shouting harsh, inauspicious words as they fight.