Mahabharata 7.32.76 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 32, Shloka 76
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
ततो हता नररथवाजिकुगञ्जरै- रनेकशो द्विपरथपत्तिवाजिन: । गजैर्गजा रथिभिरुदायुधा रथा हयै्हया: पत्तिगणैश्नल पत्तय:
tato hatā nara-ratha-vāji-kuñjarair anekaśo dvipa-ratha-patti-vājinaḥ | gajair gajā rathibhir udāyudhā rathā hayair hayāḥ patti-gaṇaiś ca pattayaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors, en grand nombre, furent tués fantassins, guerriers de char, cavaliers et cavaliers d’éléphants, chaque corps de l’armée abattant son semblable. Les éléphants renversaient les éléphants; les combattants de char frappaient les combattants de char, armes levées; les cavaliers faisaient choir les cavaliers; et les compagnies d’infanterie écrasaient l’infanterie.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim symmetry of war: each military arm destroys its counterpart, revealing how combat reduces persons to categories (infantry, cavalry, chariots, elephants) and multiplies suffering. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the heavy human cost that such valor entails.
Sañjaya reports a phase of intense fighting in which large numbers are killed. The description is structured by matched engagements—elephants against elephants, charioteers against charioteers, horsemen against horsemen, and infantry against infantry—conveying the scale and organized ferocity of the battlefield.
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