अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
अक्षाणामथ चक्राणां योक्त्राणां रश्मिभि: सह । कूबराणां वरूथाणां पूषत्कानां च संयुगे
akṣāṇām atha cakrāṇāṁ yoktrāṇāṁ raśmibhiḥ saha | kūbarāṇāṁ varūthānāṁ pūṣatkānāṁ ca saṁyuge
Dijo Sañjaya: En aquella batalla, los ejes y las ruedas, los yugos con sus riendas, los timones, los herrajes protectores y también las guardas del carro eran hechos añicos y desgarrados en medio del choque. La escena muestra que la guerra no sólo hiere a los guerreros: destruye asimismo los soportes e instrumentos que llevan el propósito humano, revelando la ruina implacable e indiscriminada que sigue cuando se abraza el conflicto.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the indiscriminate destructiveness of war: not only people but also the supports and instruments of action (chariots and their fittings) are broken. Ethically, it invites reflection on how conflict consumes both ends and means, leaving ruin in its wake.
Sañjaya is narrating the intensity of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva. The clash is so fierce that chariot components—axles, wheels, yokes, reins, poles, and protective fittings—are being smashed and torn apart on the battlefield.