Shloka 29
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
साड्कुशै: समहामात्रै: सवर्मायुधकेतुभि: । पर्वतैरिव विध्वस्तैर्विशिखैर्मथितैर्गजै:,अंकुश, महावत, कवच, आयुध और ध्वजाओंसहित बड़े-बड़े गजराज बाणोंद्वारा मथित होकर भहराये हुए पर्वतोंके समान जान पड़ते थे। जिन्होंने बड़े-बड़े गजराजोंको मार डाला था, वे श्रेष्ठ रथ घोड़े, सारथि और योद्धाओंसे रहित हो मथे गये सरोवरोंके समान चूर- चूर होकर पृथ्वीपर बिखरे पड़े थे। नाना प्रकारके आयुधों और आभूषणोंसे युक्त पैदल सैनिकोंके समूह भी उस युद्धमें मारे गये थे। इन सबके कारण वहाँकी भूमि अत्यन्त भयानक तथा भीरु पुरुषोंके मनमें भय उत्पन्न करनेवाली हो गयी थी
sa-aṅkuśaiḥ saha-māhāmātraiḥ sa-varmāyudha-ketubhiḥ | parvatair iva vidhvastair viśikhair mathitair gajaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The great lordly elephants—together with their goads, their mahouts, their armor, weapons, and banners—were seen, pierced and battered by arrows, like mountains shattered and thrown down. The field, strewn with such fallen war-beasts and the wreckage of battle, became dreadful to behold, striking fear into the hearts of the timid and revealing the grim cost of violence that overwhelms all distinctions of rank and might.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying, leveling nature of war: even the mightiest instruments of power—armored elephants with banners and weapons—are reduced to ruin. It implicitly warns that violence breeds fear and devastation, challenging any romantic view of battle.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene in Droṇa Parva: war-elephants with their equipment and attendants have been struck by volleys of arrows and lie shattered, appearing like fallen mountains, making the ground dreadful and fear-inducing.