Shloka 11
Nakula’s Engagement with Citra-sena and Karṇa’s Sons; Śalya Re-stabilizes the Kaurava Host
पादातानवमृद्नन्तो रथवारणवाजिन: । रणमध्ये व्यदृश्यन्त कुर्वन्तोी महदाकुलम्,समरांगणके बीच बहुत-से रथ, हाथी और घोड़े पैदल योद्धाओंको कुचलते तथा सबको अत्यन्त व्याकुल करते हुए दृष्टिगोचर होते थे
pādātān avamṛdnanto rathavāraṇavājinaḥ | raṇamadhye vyadṛśyanta kurvanto mahad ākulam ||
Sañjaya said: In the very midst of the battle, chariots, elephants, and horses were seen trampling the foot-soldiers, throwing the field into great confusion—an image of war’s crushing momentum, where the strong engines of combat overwhelm the vulnerable and disorder spreads through the ranks.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal asymmetry of war: powerful war-units (chariots, elephants, horses) crush vulnerable foot-soldiers, producing widespread turmoil. Ethically, it highlights how battle, even when framed within kṣatriya-duty, unleashes suffering and disorder that engulf combatants indiscriminately.
Sañjaya describes the scene in the thick of combat: chariots, elephants, and horses surge through the battlefield, trampling infantry and creating intense confusion and panic across the fighting lines.