Shloka 63
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
नागाश्च समरे उयड़ं ममृदु: शीघ्रगा नृप । हाथी हाथियोंसे भिड़कर एक-दूसरेको संताप देने लगे। उस समरांगणमें घोड़े घोड़ों
sañjaya uvāca | nāgāś ca samare yuddhe mṛdūḥ śīghragā nṛpa | hastī hastibhir āhūya parasparaṃ santāpayām āsuḥ | tatra samaraṅgaṇe aśvā aśvaiḥ rathino rathibhiḥ padātayaḥ padātibhiḥ samūhāś ca aśvasamudāyā rathāś ca hastinaś ca mardayām āsuḥ | nareśvara! evaṃ rathino hastinaś ca aśvān ca tathā śīghragā hastinaḥ tasmin yuddhasthale hastisenāyā anyān trīn aṅgān api ruroduḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O king, in that battle the elephants, swift in their charge, pressed against other elephants and tormented one another. On that field, horses clashed with horses, chariot-warriors with chariot-warriors, and foot-soldiers with foot-soldiers; masses of cavalry, chariots, and elephants crushed and trampled all around. Thus, O lord of men, chariot-fighters bore down upon elephants and horses, and the fast-moving elephants, in the very midst of the fight, trampled the other three limbs of the elephant-corps—horse, chariot, and infantry—so that the ordered structure of the army dissolved into mutual destruction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war collapses orderly formations into indiscriminate mutual harm: even the structured fourfold army (elephants, chariots, cavalry, infantry) becomes a scene of trampling and torment, highlighting the ethical cost and dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sanjaya describes the melee: elephants collide with elephants; horses, charioteers, and infantry engage their counterparts; and the fast-charging elephants end up trampling not only enemies but also the other arms of the army, intensifying confusion and destruction on the battlefield.