Shloka 66
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
निर्मनुष्यान् गजानश्वान् रथांश्वैव धनंजय
sañjaya uvāca | nirmanuṣyān gajān aśvān rathāṃś caiva dhanaṃjaya |
Sañjaya dit : «Ô Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), les guerriers de Pāñcāla — lions de vaillance et d’une grande vitesse —, soutenus par la force de Bhīmasena, abattent éléphants, chevaux et chars, les laissant sans hommes. Ils assaillent les troupes rapides de Dhṛtarāṣṭra et les broient dans la poussière.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective strength and reliance on a powerful ally (here, Bhima) can decisively shift outcomes in war; ethically, it reflects the harsh reality of kshatriya conflict where prowess and coordinated action determine victory, while also underscoring the fragility of martial power—armies and war-machines become ‘manless’ and reduced to dust.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Panchala fighters, energized by Bhima’s might, are charging through the battlefield, killing or scattering the crews of elephants, horses, and chariots, and violently routing the Kaurava forces, leaving their war-units wrecked and their soldiers crushed.