Shloka 11
कर्णार्जुनयुद्ध-प्रवृत्तिः
Renewal of the Karṇa–Arjuna Engagement at Day’s End
विषाणलग्नाश्षाप्यन्ये परिपेतुर्विभीषणा:,कितनोंको अपने दाँतोंके अग्रभागसे विदीर्ण कर देते और बहुतोंको सूँड्रोंसे खींचकर दूर फेंक देते थे। कितने ही योद्धा उनके दाँतोंमें गुथकर बड़ी भयानक अवस्थामें नीचे गिरते थे
viṣāṇalagnāś cāpy anye paripetur vibhīṣaṇāḥ | kecid dantāgrabhāgena vidīrya nipapātuḥ | bahūn tu śuṇḍābhiḥ kṛṣṭvā dūre nyakṣipan | kecid danteṣu gūḍhāḥ san bhṛśaṃ ghorataraṃ patitāḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: Algunos guerreros, enganchados en los cuernos de aquellas bestias, eran zarandeados con espanto. A otros los desgarraban las puntas mismas de sus colmillos; a muchos los apresaban con la trompa y los arrojaban lejos. Otros, encajados entre los colmillos, caían en un estado espantoso. La escena desnuda el impulso brutal de la guerra, donde el valor y el deber quedan eclipsados por una violencia indiscriminada que devora a los combatientes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing force of war: once unleashed, violence becomes indiscriminate, reducing warriors—regardless of merit—to bodily vulnerability. It implicitly cautions that even when framed as kṣatriya-duty, battle carries grave ethical and human costs.
Sañjaya describes a chaotic battlefield scene involving war-elephants: some fighters are caught on horns, some are ripped by teeth, many are grabbed by trunks and thrown away, and others are crushed or wedged in the elephants’ mouths before falling in a horrific condition.