Shloka 993
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
न्यपातयंस्तथा चान्यान् पातयित्वा तदापिषन् | परस्पर आघात करते हुए वे हाथी, घोड़े स्वयं भी घायल होकर गिर जाते थे तथा दूसरोंको भी गिरा देते और गिराकर उनका कचूमर निकाल देते थे
nyapātayaṃs tathā cānyān pātayitvā tadāpiṣan | paraspara-āghātaṃ kurvanto te hastino 'śvāḥ svayam api ghāyitvā nipetire tathāpareṣāṃ ca pātayitvā teṣāṃ piṣṭaṃ cakruḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Mereka saling menghantam dari depan. Gajah dan kuda—meski diri mereka sendiri terluka—jatuh tersungkur; dan ketika jatuh mereka menjatuhkan yang lain, lalu setelah merobohkannya mereka melindas hingga hancur.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how violence in war becomes self-propagating: even the powerful (elephants, horses) are wounded and destroyed, and in their fall they destroy others. Ethically, it highlights the dehumanizing momentum of conflict and the cascading consequences of harm.
Sañjaya describes intense battlefield collisions where elephants and horses, striking each other, are injured and collapse; as they fall they knock down others and crush them, conveying the chaos and brutality of the fighting.