Shloka 3
अश्वा नाश्वैरयुध्यन्त गजा न गजयोधिभि: । उन्मत्तवन्महाराज युध्यन्ते तत्र भारत,घुड़सवार घुड़सवारोंक साथ और हाथीसवार हाथीसवारोंके साथ नहीं लड़ते थे। भरतवंशी महाराज! सब लोग उन्मत्त-से होकर वहाँ योग्यताका विचार किये बिना सबके साथ युद्ध करते थे
aśvā nāśvair ayudhyanta gajā na gajayodhibhiḥ | unmattavan mahārāja yudhyante tatra bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja agung, kuda tidak bertempur hanya melawan kuda, dan gajah pun tidak hanya melawan para pejuang bergajah. Di sana, wahai Bhārata, orang-orang bertempur laksana orang kesurupan—tanpa memedulikan kecocokan lawan atau tatanan—menyerang siapa pun yang mereka jumpai.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can dissolve discipline and discernment: fighters abandon proper order and proportional engagement, becoming ‘unmattavat’—as if mad. Ethically, it points to the dehumanizing momentum of battle, where right measure and restraint are easily lost.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become confused and indiscriminate: cavalry do not limit themselves to cavalry, and elephant units do not fight only their counterparts; instead, combatants clash with anyone they encounter, as though frenzied.