Shloka 26
ऐरावतकुले चैव तथान्येषु कुलेषु च । जाता दन्तिवरा राजन् शेरते बहवो हता:,नरेश्वर! सुप्रतीक, महापद्मय, ऐरावत तथा अन्य [पुण्डरीक, पुष्पदन््त और सार्वभौम-- (इन) दिग्गजोंके] कुलोंमें उत्पन्न हुए बहुतेरे दंतार हाथी भी वहाँ धरतीपर लोट रहे थे
airāvatakule caiva tathānyēṣu kulēṣu ca | jātā dantivarā rājan śērātē bahavō hatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, many excellent tusked elephants—born in the lineage of Airāvata and likewise in other famed lineages—lay there slain, strewn upon the earth. The scene testified to the war’s terrible cost, where even the mightiest creatures, symbols of royal power and battlefield strength, were brought down.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the devastating reach of war: even the most powerful instruments of kingship and battle—great tusked elephants from renowned lineages—are reduced to lifeless bodies. It implicitly warns of the moral and material ruin that accompanies unchecked conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield aftermath: numerous war elephants, including those of the celebrated Airāvata lineage and other lineages, have been killed and lie scattered on the ground, highlighting the intensity of the fighting.