Shloka 19
द्रोण–सात्यकि-युद्धम्
Droṇa–Sātyaki Engagement
चूर्णिताक्षिप्तदग्धानां वजानिलहुताशनै: । तुल्यरूपा गजाः: पेतुर्गियग्राम्बुदवेश्मनाम्
sañjaya uvāca |
cūrṇitākṣiptadagdhānāṁ vajānila-hutāśanaiḥ |
tulyarūpā gajāḥ petur giri-grāmbuda-veśmanām ||
Sañjaya said: In that dreadful turmoil—where bodies were crushed, hurled down, and burned by the thunderbolt-like force of weapons, the gale of battle, and the consuming fire—elephants fell in heaps, indistinguishable from one another, like mountains, villages, clouds, and lofty mansions collapsing into ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and existential cost of war: when violence escalates, it erases individuality and dignity, reducing even powerful beings to indistinguishable casualties—an implicit warning about the dehumanizing nature of unchecked conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where elephants are being crushed, flung, and burned amid weapon-strokes, fierce winds, and fire; they fall in masses, appearing alike, compared to the collapse of huge structures—mountains, villages, clouds, and mansions.