Shloka 39
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
शोणितं निर्वमन्ति सम द्विपा: पार्थशराहता: । सहस्नशश्किन्नगात्रा: सारोहा: सपदानुगा:,सवारों और अनुचरोंसहित सहस्रों हाथी अर्जुनके बाणोंसे आहत हो मुँहसे रक्त वमन करते थे। उनके सम्पूर्ण अंग छिन्न-भिन्न हो रहे थे
śoṇitaṃ nirvamanti sma dvipāḥ pārthaśarāhatāḥ | sahasraśaś chinnagātrāḥ sārohāḥ sapadānugāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by the arrows of Pārtha (Arjuna), elephants by the thousands were vomiting blood. With their limbs severed and mangled, they fell along with their riders and the foot-soldiers who followed in their wake.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of righteous war (kṣatriya-dharma) in the epic: even when fighting is duty-bound, its consequences are horrific and widespread, affecting not only warriors but also animals and attendants—inviting reflection on the ethical weight of violence.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s arrows devastating the enemy’s elephant corps: elephants in vast numbers, along with their riders and accompanying foot-soldiers, are grievously wounded—vomiting blood and losing limbs—showing Arjuna’s overwhelming battlefield effectiveness.