Shloka 120
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
तस्मिन् सुघोरे नृपसम्प्रहारे हताः प्रवीरा: सरथाश्चसूता: । गजाश्न नाराचनिपाततप्ता महापताका: शुभरुक्मकक्ष्या:,राजाओंके उस भयानक संग्राममें रथ, घोड़े और सारथिसहित बड़े-बड़े वीर मारे गये। सुन्दर सुनहरे रस्सोंसे कसे हुए, बड़ी-बड़ी पताकाओंवाले हाथी नाराचोंकी मारसे पीड़ित हो शक्ति और चेतना खोकर सहसा धराशायी हो गये। कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनके भयंकर वेगवाले तीखे एवं पंखयुक्त निर्मल भल्लोंसे गहरी चोट पड़नेपर कवच और शरीर दोनोंके विदीर्ण हो जानेसे कौरव सैनिक सहसा प्राणशून्य होकर गिर जाते थे
tasmin sughore nṛpa-samprahāre hatāḥ pravīrāḥ sa-rathāś ca sūtāḥ | gajāś ca nārāca-nipāta-taptā mahā-patākāḥ śubha-rukma-kakṣyāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that most dreadful clash of kings, many foremost warriors were slain—along with their chariots and their charioteers. Elephants, adorned with great banners and bound with splendid golden girths, were scorched by the falling shafts; losing strength and awareness, they suddenly collapsed to the earth. The scene underscores the terrible cost of war: valor and royal pride alike are reduced to silence when weapons fall without restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating, indiscriminate consequences of war: even the greatest heroes and mighty war-elephants fall. It implicitly warns that royal ambition and martial pride, when unleashed in conflict, lead to widespread suffering and the swift collapse of life and power.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield during the Kurukṣetra war: prominent warriors are killed along with their chariots and charioteers, and bannered elephants—struck and pained by heavy arrows—lose strength and consciousness and collapse.