Shloka 51
विशस्त्रकवचा रुग्णास्तत्र तत्र पतन्ति च । न शवनुवन्ति यन्तार: संयन्तुं तुमुले हयान्,“ये रथी शस्त्र और कवचसे हीन होकर शस्त्रोंके आघातसे रुग्ण हो यत्र-तत्र गिर रहे हैं। इस भयंकर युद्धमें सारथि अपने घोड़ोंको काबूमें नहीं रख पाते हैं!
viśastrakavacā rugṇās tatra tatra patanti ca | na śaknuvanti yantāraḥ saṃyantuṃ tumule hayān ||
Sañjaya said: “Stripped of weapons and armor, and wounded by the blows of arms, the warriors fall here and there. In that tumultuous battle even the charioteers cannot restrain their horses.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing chaos of war: when violence peaks, even trained agents of control (charioteers) lose mastery, and the loss of protection (weapons and armor) quickly turns into vulnerability and suffering—inviting reflection on the ethical cost of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene: warriors, disarmed and unarmored, are struck and collapse in different places, while the din and confusion are so intense that charioteers fail to keep their horses under control.