Shloka 66
रथाश्वनरनागानां हन्तारं परवीरहन्
rathāśvanaranāgānāṁ hantāraṁ paravīrahan
Sañjaya said: “(He is) the slayer of chariots, horses, men, and elephants—one who strikes down the heroes of the opposing side.” The line underscores the grim ethical weight of battlefield prowess: martial excellence here is measured by destructive capacity against all arms of the enemy host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, valor is framed as the capacity to neutralize the enemy’s full military spectrum—chariots, cavalry, infantry, and elephants—raising the ethical tension between celebrated heroism and the reality of mass destruction.
Sañjaya is describing a formidable warrior’s battlefield impact, portraying him as a devastating combatant who kills enemy heroes and destroys multiple components of the opposing army.