Shloka 67
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
दन्तिभिशक्षापरैस्तत्र सप्रासैर्गाढवेदनै: | करै: शब्द विमुञ्चद्धिः शीकरं मुहुर्मुहु:,कुछ दन्तार हाथी प्रास धँस जानेके कारण गहरी व्यथासे युक्त सूँड़ोंद्वारा बारंबार शब्द करते और पानीके कण फेंकते थे
dantibhiḥ kṣatāparais tatra sa-prāsair gāḍha-vedanaiḥ | karaiḥ śabdaṃ vimuñcadbhiḥ śīkaraṃ muhur muhuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: There, the elephants—wounded and pierced by spears, suffering intense pain—kept trumpeting again and again with their trunks, repeatedly spraying fine droplets of water. The scene underscores the brutal cost of war: even mighty creatures are driven into distress, and the battlefield’s glory is inseparable from widespread suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: power and grandeur on the battlefield coexist with intense suffering. It invites reflection on the human (and non-human) cost that accompanies armed conflict, tempering triumphalism with awareness and compassion.
Sañjaya describes wounded elephants on the battlefield. Pierced by spears and in severe pain, they trumpet repeatedly and spray water with their trunks—vivid sensory details that convey the chaos and cruelty of the fighting.