Shloka 196
तावकानां परेषां च निध्नतामितरेतरम् | तदनन्तर एक-दूसरेपर प्रहार करते हुए आपके और शत्रुपक्षके सैनिकोंका घोर युद्ध आरम्भ हो गया, जिसमें रथसे रथ और हाथीसे हाथी भिड़ गये थे
tāvakānāṁ pareṣāṁ ca nighnatām itaretaram |
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces, cuando tus guerreros y el ejército enemigo se abatían mutuamente a golpes, estalló de inmediato una batalla espantosa: carro contra carro y elefante contra elefante, cada bando empeñado en someter al otro en el implacable ímpetu de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the mutuality and escalation of violence in war—each side striking the other—implying the ethical gravity of conflict where destruction becomes reciprocal and impersonal once battle is joined.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after the armies engage, a fierce general battle begins, with close-quarters clashes—chariot against chariot and elephant against elephant—as both Kauravas and their opponents attack each other.