Shloka 38
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
संनिपाते बलौघानां प्रेषितैर्वरवारणै: । निपेतुर्युधि सम्भग्ना: सयोधा: सध्वजा गजा:,सैन्यसमूहोंके उस भीषण संघर्षमें आगे बढ़ाये हुए बड़े-बड़े हाथियोंसे टकराकर युद्धमें कितने ही छोटे-छोटे हाथी अंग-भंग हो जानेके कारण सवारों और ध्वजोंसहित गिर जाते थे
sannipāte balaughānāṁ preṣitair varavāraṇaiḥ | nipetur yudhi sambhagnāḥ sayodhāḥ sadhvajā gajāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the dense collision of the massed armies, as the foremost great elephants were driven forward, many lesser elephants, shattered and maimed in the fighting, fell to the ground—along with their riders and their standards. The verse underscores the impersonal, crushing momentum of war, where even noble strength becomes an instrument of widespread ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal, indiscriminate nature of war: power and prestige (great elephants, banners) do not prevent destruction, and many lives are crushed in the collective momentum of battle. It implicitly cautions against glorifying warfare by showing its human and animal cost.
Sañjaya describes a fierce clash where large, forward-driven war-elephants collide with smaller elephants; many are crippled and fall in the fighting, bringing down their riders and standards as well.