Mahabharata 7.49.30 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 49, Shloka 30
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
पृथिव्यामनुकीर्णैश्न व्यश्वसारथियोधिभि: । हृदैरिव प्रक्षुभितैर्हतनागै रथोत्तमै:
sañjaya uvāca |
pr̥thivyām anukīrṇaiś ca vy-aśva-sārathi-yodhibhiḥ |
hr̥dair iva prakṣubhitair hata-nāgai rathottamaiḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: La tierra estaba sembrada de los mejores carros y de elefantes muertos—carros ya privados de caballos, aurigas y guerreros—de modo que el campo parecía lagos revueltos en tumulto. Los grandes elefantes, abatidos entre sus aguijones, armaduras, armas y estandartes, yacían destrozados como montañas. Con masas de infantería también segadas, el suelo se volvió sumamente espantoso, despertando temor en los pusilánimes. La escena subraya el costo moral de la guerra: el valor y la destreza culminan en ruina, y el propio campo se vuelve testimonio del sufrimiento cuando el dharma es disputado por la violencia.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the greatest instruments of power—elephants and superb chariots—end as wreckage, turning the earth into a fearful witness. It implicitly warns that violence, even when pursued for victory, produces pervasive suffering and terror, challenging the stability of dharma.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: the ground is littered with broken chariots lacking horses, charioteers, and fighters, and with elephants slain amid their martial equipment. The devastation is so extreme that the land appears like churned lakes and becomes terrifying to behold.
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