Shloka 31
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
अश्वानां पततां चापि प्रासानामृष्टिभि: सह । गदानां परिघानां च शक्तितोमरपट्टिशै:
aśvānāṃ patatāṃ cāpi prāsānām ṛṣṭibhiḥ saha | gadānāṃ parighānāṃ ca śaktitomarapaṭṭiśaiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : « On voyait aussi des chevaux tomber, des lances avec des piques ; et de même des masses et des gourdins de fer—avec des śakti, des tomara et des haches de guerre. » Dans ce sombre catalogue d’armes et de victimes, le récit souligne la machine de guerre, impersonnelle et écrasante, où êtres vivants et instruments de violence sont pareillement emportés vers la destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a stark reminder of the dehumanizing scale of war: life (even horses) and weaponry are reduced to a falling, collapsing mass. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of conflict even when framed within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, listing the kinds of weapons present and indicating that horses and armaments are falling amid intense combat.