Shloka 13
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
पदातिसंघाश्षाश्वौधै: पलायद्विर्भुशं हता: । भागते हुए हाथियोंने बहुत-से रथ तोड़ डाले, बड़े-बड़े रथोंने घुड़सवारोंको कुचल दिया और दौड़ते हुए अश्वसमूहोंने पैदल सैनिकोंको अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया ।। व्यालतस्करसंकीर्णे सार्थहीना यथा वने
padātisaṅghāś ca aśvaughaiḥ palāyadbhir bhuśaṃ hatāḥ | vyāla-taskara-saṅkīrṇe sārtha-hīnā yathā vane ||
Sañjaya said: The masses of infantry were grievously struck down by the fleeing torrents of horses. The battlefield, thrown into confusion by panic and trampling, looked like a forest where a caravan, bereft of its guides and order, is scattered amid beasts and bandits—an image of war’s collapse into lawlessness and fear.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how quickly war dissolves social and moral order: once fear and flight take over, even one’s own forces become instruments of harm, and the scene resembles a lawless wilderness where the unprotected are prey to danger.
Sañjaya describes a rout and confusion in battle: rushing, fleeing masses of horses crush and grievously injure the infantry, and the field becomes like a forest where a caravan without leadership is scattered amid beasts and robbers.