Shloka 8
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
पुनश्चैव वसातीयाज्जघान रथिनो दश । केकयानां रथान् सप्त हत्वा च दश कुञ्जरान्
punaś caiva vasātīyāj jaghāna rathino daśa | kekayānāṁ rathān sapta hatvā ca daśa kuñjarān |
Sañjaya said: And again, that warrior of the Vasātiya line struck down ten chariot-fighters. Having destroyed seven chariots of the Kekayas, he also slew ten elephants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not teach by direct instruction; it teaches by depiction: war reduces living beings and martial resources to counts of kills and losses. It invites reflection on the ethical burden of violence even when performed under the banner of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports a fresh surge of battlefield success by a warrior identified as 'Vasātīya': he kills ten chariot-fighters, destroys seven Kekaya chariots, and slays ten war-elephants—an episode emphasizing the intensity and scale of the fighting.