Shloka 7
रथान् ससूतान् सहयान् गजांश्न सर्वानरीन् मृत्युवशं शरौघै: । निन्ये हयांश्वैव तथा ससादीन् पदातिसड्घांश्व॒ तथैव पार्थ:
rathān sasūtān sahayān gajāṁś ca sarvān arīn mṛtyuvaśaṁ śaraughaiḥ | ninye hayāṁś caiva tathā sasādīn padātisaṅghāṁś ca tathaiva pārthaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Pārtha (Arjuna), by torrents of arrows, brought under the sway of Death the chariots with their charioteers, the elephants with their riders, all the enemy warriors, the cavalry with their horses, and likewise the massed infantry. The scene underscores the grim moral weight of battle: prowess and duty are displayed through disciplined action, yet every stroke carries the irreversible consequence of lives cut down.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of kṣatriya warfare: disciplined martial skill executed as duty can still culminate in widespread death. It invites reflection on responsibility in action—power used in war inevitably binds one to consequences, even when undertaken within one’s ordained role.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna overwhelms the opposing forces with dense volleys of arrows, killing or fatally disabling multiple divisions—chariots with charioteers, elephants, cavalry, and infantry—thus turning the battlefield decisively in that moment.