Shloka 24
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
सवर्मध्वजशस्त्रैश्न पतितै: संवृतां महीम् । हस्त्यश्वरथदेहां श्व गतासून् प्रेक्ष्य सर्वश:
sa varma-dhvaja-śastraiś ca patitaiḥ saṁvṛtāṁ mahīm | hasty-aśva-ratha-dehāṁś ca gatāsūn prekṣya sarvaśaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Voyant la terre partout couverte d’armures, d’étendards et d’armes tombées, et contemplant de toutes parts les corps sans vie des éléphants, des chevaux et des guerriers de char, il considéra la ruine du champ de bataille, témoin implacable du prix moral de la guerre et de l’effondrement de la retenue humaine au cœur du carnage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of warfare: even when framed as kṣatriya-dharma, battle leaves the earth littered with instruments of violence and lifeless bodies, reminding the listener that victory is inseparable from suffering and moral consequence.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield scene: the ground is strewn with fallen armor, standards, and weapons, and the corpses of elephants, horses, and chariot-fighters lie everywhere—an image of total devastation after intense fighting.