Shloka 39
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
नागराजोपमैहस्तैनगिराक्षिप्य संयुगे | व्यदृश्यन्त महाराज सम्भग्ना रथकूबरा:
nāgarājopamaiḥ hastair nagirākṣipya saṁyuge | vyadṛśyanta mahārāja sambhagnā rathakūbarāḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Oh gran rey, en lo más recio del combate, con manos semejantes a las del señor de las serpientes, se apoderaban de los carros y los arrojaban; y se veían muchos timones y pértigas de los carros quebrados y hechos añicos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war, even when framed as kṣatriya duty, manifests as tangible devastation—broken chariots and ruined instruments—inviting reflection on the ethical weight and consequences of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that in the battle warriors of immense strength seized and hurled chariots, and many chariot-poles were seen shattered on the battlefield.