Mahabharata 7.92.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 92, Shloka 23
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
युद्धके मैदानमें चक्कर काटते हुए हाथियोंपर बहुत-से मनुष्य इस प्रकार लटक रहे थे, मानो उन्हें किसी यन्त्रसे वहाँ जड़ दिया गया हो। उनके कवच नष्ट हो गये थे। वे घावसे पीड़ित और खूनसे लथपथ हो रहे थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yuddhakṣetre maṇḍalīkurvatsu gajeṣu bahavo manuṣyā evaṃ lambamānā dṛśyante sma yathā yantrair iva tatra niyojitāḥ | teṣāṃ kavacāni naṣṭāni | vraṇapīḍitā raktāplutāś ca babhūvuḥ || kecid ekena bāṇena suyuktena supatriṇā | dvau trayas ca vinirbhinnā nipetur dharaṇītale ||
Dijo Sañjaya: En el campo de batalla, mientras los elefantes giraban en círculos, muchos hombres colgaban de ellos como si algún artificio los hubiera fijado allí. Sus armaduras estaban destrozadas; heridos y atormentados por los golpes, iban empapados en sangre. Y algunos, alcanzados por una sola flecha bien dirigida, de fino emplumado, quedaron atravesados—dos, incluso tres a la vez—y cayeron a tierra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim reality of war: skill and weaponry can turn human life into something expendable. Ethically, it presses the listener to recognize the cost of violence—beyond victory and strategy—by foregrounding suffering, bodily vulnerability, and the dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sañjaya describes a chaotic battlefield scene with elephants circling. Men hang from the elephants, their armor destroyed and bodies bleeding. He then notes that a single well-aimed, well-fletched arrow can pierce through two or three at once, who then collapse to the ground.
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