Shloka 59
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
तेषां सुतुमुलं युद्ध व्यतिषक्तरथद्धिपम् । अवर्तत महारीौद्रे निघध्नतामितरेतरम्
teṣāṁ sutumulaṁ yuddhaṁ vyatiṣakta-ratha-dvipam | avartata mahāraudre nighnatām itaretaram ||
फिर उन सब महारथियों में, रथों और हाथियों के गुँथ जाने से, अत्यन्त भयंकर और तुमुल युद्ध छिड़ गया; उस महा-रौद्र संग्राम में वे एक-दूसरे पर निरन्तर प्रहार करने लगे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying momentum of war: once collective fury is unleashed, combat becomes mutual destruction, where instruments of power (chariots, elephants) entangle and ethical restraint is hard to maintain—highlighting the grave cost of adharma-driven conflict even within a kṣatriya setting.
Sañjaya describes the battle intensifying into a chaotic mêlée: chariots collide with chariots and elephants with elephants, and the warriors, locked together at close quarters, strike each other down in a dreadful, roaring combat.