Shloka 28
अपरे सहसा गृह विषाणैरेव सूदिता: । सेनान्तरं समासाद्य केचित् तत्र महागजै:,कितने ही योद्धा हाथियोंद्वारा पकड़े जाकर उनके दाँतोंसे ही मार डाले गये। महाराज! बहुत-से विशालकाय गजराज सेनाके भीतर घुसकर कितने ही पैदलोंको सहसा पकड़कर उनके शरीरोंको बारंबार पटक-झटककर चूर-चूर कर देते और कितनोंको व्यजनोंके समान घुमाकर युद्धमें मार डालते थे इति श्रीमहा भारते कर्णपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे अष्टाविंशो 5ध्याय:
apare sahasā gṛhya viṣāṇair eva sūditāḥ | senāntaraṃ samāsādya kecit tatra mahāgajaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Others, seized in an instant, were crushed to death by the very tusks. Some, after the great elephants forced their way into the midst of the army, were slain there—trampled, gored, and broken—showing how, in the frenzy of battle, living beings are reduced to helpless victims of brute force, and how war swiftly overwhelms restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing momentum of war: once violence surges, even the strongest are abruptly reduced to vulnerability. It implicitly warns that battlefield power (here, elephants) can eclipse discernment and compassion, highlighting the ethical cost that accompanies kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya describes chaotic close-quarters fighting in which mighty elephants penetrate the army’s formation. Warriors are suddenly seized and killed—crushed and gored by tusks—illustrating the terror and disorder of the ‘sankula-yuddha’ (confused melee).