अद्यैव सरथं साशथ्वं सशक्तिकवचायुधम् । संचूर्णितमिवारण्ये पादपं दन्तिना यथा
adyaiva sarathaṁ sāśvaṁ saśaktikavacāyudham | sañcūrṇitam ivāraṇye pādapaṁ dantinā yathā ||
Sañjaya said: “Even today, with its chariot and horses, with its armour, weapons, and spear, it has been utterly crushed—like a tree in the forest smashed to pieces by an elephant.”
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the overwhelming force of battlefield violence: even the full apparatus of war—chariot, horses, armour, and weapons—can be reduced to ruin. Ethically, it highlights the fragility of martial power and the stark consequences of conflict.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior’s entire fighting setup (chariot with horses and armaments) has been completely smashed, using a vivid comparison: like a forest tree crushed by an elephant.