Shloka 61
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
सुसंनिकृष्टे संग्रामे भूयिष्ठे त्यक्तजीविता: । उस समय उस निकटवर्ती महायुद्धमें प्राणोंका मोह छोड़कर जूझनेवाले पाण्डवसेनाके रक्तरंजित घुड़सवार इस प्रकार बोले-- ।।
su-saṃnikṛṣṭe saṅgrāme bhūyiṣṭhe tyakta-jīvitāḥ | na hi śakyaṃ rathair yoddhuṃ kuta eva mahā-gajaiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Lorsque la bataille se resserra jusqu’au corps à corps et que le combat devint le plus violent, ces guerriers—ayant rejeté tout attachement à la vie—déclarèrent : «Ici, il n’est pas possible de combattre avec des chars ; à plus forte raison avec de grands éléphants !»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme close-quarters combat, ethical resolve (fearlessness and readiness to risk life) must be matched with practical discernment: certain weapons and formations—chariots and elephants—become ineffective or even harmful when the battlefield is too congested.
Sañjaya reports that as the fighting compresses into a tight melee, the combatants observe that the press of battle makes maneuvering impossible; they state that chariots cannot be used effectively, and therefore large elephants are even less workable in that situation.