Shloka 27
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
संशप्तका हता: सर्वे काम्बोजाश्व॒ शकैः सह । म्लेच्छाक्ष पर्वतीयाक्ष यवना विनिपातिता:,“समस्त संशप्तक वीर, काम्बोज, शक, म्लेच्छ, पर्वतीय योद्धा और यवनसैनिक मार गिराये गये
Saṁśaptakā hatāḥ sarve Kāmbojāś ca Śakaiḥ saha | Mlecchāś ca Pārvatīyāś ca Yavanā vinipātitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “All the Saṁśaptakas were slain—along with the Kāmbojas and the Śakas. The Mlecchas, the mountain-dwellers, and the Yavanas too were struck down and fell in battle.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the catastrophic, all-consuming nature of war: once unleashed, it does not spare whole groups or allies, and identity labels (tribe, region, ‘foreignness’) do not protect anyone from the consequences of collective violence.
Vaiśampāyana reports that multiple allied warrior groups—Saṁśaptakas, Kāmbojas, Śakas, Mlecchas, mountain fighters, and Yavanas—have been killed, indicating a major rout and the near-total destruction of these contingents in the ongoing battle.