Shloka 81
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
तथा पत्तिरथौघाश्र हयाश्ष बहवो रणे | रथिभिननिहता राजंस्तव तेषां च संकुले
tathā pattirathaughāś ca hayāś ca bahavo raṇe | rathibhir nihitā rājan tava teṣāṃ ca saṅkule ||
Sañjaya berkata: Demikian pula, dalam pertempuran yang kacau dan bercampur itu, banyak prajurit pejalan kaki, gerombolan kereta, dan sejumlah besar penunggang kuda—baik dari pihakmu maupun pihak mereka—tewas di tangan para kesatria kereta.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the indiscriminate nature of war: once battle becomes saṅkula (intermingled and confused), destruction spreads across ranks and sides alike. It implicitly warns that violence, when unleashed, rarely remains controlled or morally clean.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that in the thick of the Kurukṣetra fighting, large numbers of infantry, chariot-groups, and horsemen on both the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava sides were slain by chariot-warriors amid a densely mixed melee.