Shloka 30
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
अक्षाणामथ चक्राणां योक्त्राणां रश्मिभि: सह । कूबराणां वरूथाणां पूषत्कानां च संयुगे
akṣāṇām atha cakrāṇāṁ yoktrāṇāṁ raśmibhiḥ saha | kūbarāṇāṁ varūthānāṁ pūṣatkānāṁ ca saṁyuge
Sañjaya said: In that battle, the axles and wheels, the yokes together with their reins, the pole-pieces, the protective fittings, and the chariot-guards as well were all being shattered and torn apart amid the clash. The scene underscores how war does not merely strike warriors; it destroys the very supports and instruments that carry human purpose, revealing the relentless, indiscriminate ruin that follows when conflict is embraced.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate destructiveness of war: not only people but also the supports and instruments of action (chariots and their fittings) are broken. Ethically, it invites reflection on how conflict consumes both ends and means, leaving ruin in its wake.
Sañjaya is narrating the intensity of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva. The clash is so fierce that chariot components—axles, wheels, yokes, reins, poles, and protective fittings—are being smashed and torn apart on the battlefield.