Shloka 46
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
रथैर्भग्नैर्महाराज वारणैश्न निपातितै:,राजेन्द्र! टूटे हुए रथों, धराशायी हुए हाथियों, मरकर गिरे हुए घोड़ों और गिराये गये पैदल सैनिकोंसे क्षणभरमें यह पृथ्वी ऐसी हो गयी कि वहाँ चलना-फिरना असम्भव हो गया
sañjaya uvāca | rathair bhagnair mahārāja vāraṇaiś ca nipātitaiḥ | aśvaiś ca mṛtaiḥ patitaiḥ padātibhiś ca pātitaiḥ | kṣaṇena pṛthivī hy eṣā tathābhūd yatra gamanaṃ na śakyate ||
Sanjaya said: “O great king, with chariots shattered, elephants brought down, horses fallen dead, and foot-soldiers struck and strewn upon the ground, this earth in a single moment became so clogged with the wreckage of war that movement there was no longer possible.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the immediate, overwhelming consequences of warfare: violence rapidly turns the very ground into an obstacle, illustrating the heavy cost of conflict and the fragility of life and order amid adharma-driven destruction.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become jammed with shattered chariots, fallen elephants, dead horses, and downed infantry, making it impossible to move—conveying the intensity and carnage of the fighting.