Shloka 30
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
पादाताशक्ष पदात्योघैस्ताडिता: शक्तितोमरै: । न्यपतन्त तदा भूमौ शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,उस समय पैदल सिपाही पैदलोंद्वारा ही शक्ति और तोमरोंसे घायल हो सैकड़ों और हजारोंकी संख्यामें धराशायी हो रहे थे
pādātāś ca padātyoghais tāḍitāḥ śakti-tomaraiḥ | nyapatanta tadā bhūmau śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the foot-soldiers, struck down amid the surging masses of infantry and wounded by spears and javelins, fell to the earth in hundreds and in thousands. The scene underscores the grim impartiality of battle, where common warriors bear the heaviest cost and violence multiplies beyond individual intent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the disproportionate suffering of ordinary soldiers in war and the cascading nature of violence; it invites reflection on responsibility and restraint even within the framework of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports that masses of infantry are being struck with spears and javelins and are collapsing to the ground in vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—amid intense close-quarters fighting.