Shloka 25
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
ततो रथेषु भग्नेषु त्रिसाहस््रा महाद्विपा: । पाण्डवान् रथिन: सर्वान् समन्तात् पर्यवारयन्,वे धृष्टद्यम्मका सामना करना छोड़कर जहाँ शकुनि था, वहाँ चले गये। वर्तमान नरसंहारमें राजा दुर्योधनको न देखनेके कारण वे उद्विग्न हो उठे थे ।।
tato ratheṣu bhagneṣu trisāhasrā mahādvipāḥ | pāṇḍavān rathinaḥ sarvān samantāt paryavārayan |
Dijo Sañjaya: Luego, cuando los carros quedaron hechos añicos, tres mil grandes elefantes de guerra cercaron por todos lados a todos los guerreros en carro de los Pāṇḍava. La escena subraya la mecánica brutal de la batalla: cuando fallan la movilidad y el amparo (el carro), la fuerza en masa se cierra para aislar y abatir incluso a los más eminentes combatientes, convirtiendo el campo en un anillo de violencia que se estrecha, más que en un duelo de campeones.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly the fortunes of war shift when key supports collapse: once chariots are destroyed, even elite warriors become vulnerable to encirclement. Ethically, it points to the dehumanizing momentum of mass warfare, where tactical advantage can eclipse ideals of fair combat.
After chariots are broken in the fighting, a large force of war-elephants—three thousand—moves in and surrounds the Pandava chariot-warriors from all directions, attempting to trap and crush them through encirclement.