Shloka 13
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शल्यपर्वमें शल्यका युद्धविषयक तेरहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,चक्राणां पततां चापि युगानां च धरातले समदृश्यन्त पार्थस्य रथमार्गेषु भारत । भारत! महाभाग! अर्जुनके रथके मार्गोमें धरतीपर गिरते हुए रथके पहियों, जूओं तरकसों, पताकाओं, ध्वजों, रथों, हरसों, अनुकर्षों, त्रिवेणु नामक काष्ठों, धुरों, रस्सियों, चाबुकों, कुण्डल और पगड़ी धारण करनेवाले मस्तकों, भुजाओं, कंधों, छत्रों, व्यजनों और मुकुटोंके ढेर-के-ढेर दिखायी देने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | cakrāṇāṃ patatāṃ cāpi yugānāṃ ca dharātale samadṛśyanta pārthasya rathamārgeṣu bhārata |
Sanjaya said: O Bharata, along the tracks of Partha’s chariot there could be seen upon the ground the fallen wheels and yokes. The battlefield, churned by Arjuna’s advance, displayed heaps of shattered chariot-gear and the severed remnants of warriors—an image that underscores how swiftly martial prowess can turn pride and possession into ruin, and how war’s momentum leaves a visible trail of loss.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tangible aftermath of violence: even the instruments of power—chariots and their gear—are reduced to wreckage. It implicitly points to the impermanence of worldly strength and the heavy cost that accompanies the kṣatriya pursuit of victory.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield scene around Arjuna’s advance: along the route of Arjuna’s chariot, fallen wheels and yokes lie scattered on the ground, indicating intense fighting and the destruction of chariots and warriors in his wake.