Shloka 14
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
रथाश्ष बहवो भग्ना हयाश्ष शतशो हता: । गजाश्न सगजारोहा: पेतुरुव्या महाहवे,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी उस महासमरमें बहुत-से रथ टूट गये, सैकड़ों घोड़े मारे गये तथा कितने ही हाथी और हाथीसवार धराशायी हो गये
sañjaya uvāca | rathāś ca bahavo bhagnā hayāś ca śataśo hatāḥ | gajāś ca sa-gajārohāḥ petur urvyā mahāhave | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarccchat kaḍuka-barhiṇa-vājitaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: In that great battle many chariots were shattered, hundreds of horses were slain, and elephants together with their riders fell upon the earth. Then, striking each opponent in turn with three arrows—arrows fitted with vulture-feathers—he inflicted sharp pain and checked their advance, as the slaughter and ruin of war spread across the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of war: even when fought as a kṣatriya duty, battle brings widespread destruction—chariots, horses, and elephants fall. It implicitly cautions that martial prowess and tactical precision operate within an ethically heavy context where the cost of conflict is immense.
Sañjaya describes an intense phase of fighting in which the combatant (implied from context) shoots opponents with sets of three feathered arrows, causing severe distress. The battlefield is littered with broken chariots and fallen horses and elephants, conveying the scale and ferocity of the engagement.