Shloka 65
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
खड़गेनान्यांश्व चिच्छेद नादेनान्यांश्व भीषयन् । ऊरुवेगेन चाप्यन्यान् पातयामास भूतले
khaḍgenānyāṁś ca ciccheda nādenānyāṁś ca bhīṣayan | ūruvegena cāpy anyān pātayāmāsa bhūtale ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan pedangnya ia menebas banyak orang; dengan aumannya yang menggentarkan ia menakut-nakuti yang lain; dan dengan daya hentak pahanya ia menjatuhkan yang lain lagi ke tanah. Demikianlah, dalam kegilaan pertempuran, ia menginjak sebagian, melemparkan sebagian ke atas lalu membantingnya, menebas sebagian, dan meruntuhkan sebagian hanya dengan teror.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, power operates through multiple instruments—weaponry, physical force, and fear. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: kṣatriya duty in battle can demand ferocity, yet the narrative simultaneously exposes the dehumanizing, fear-driven mechanics of violence.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s overwhelming onslaught: he cuts down opponents with a sword, terrifies others with a thunderous roar, and knocks many to the ground through sheer bodily force (described as the ‘force of the thighs’), portraying a chaotic scene of rout and slaughter.