Shloka 19
Nārāyaṇāstra-utpātaḥ — Aśvatthāman’s Rallying Roar after Droṇa’s Fall (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६७)
गजारोहा गजैस्तूर्ण संनिपत्य महामृथे । योधयन्तश्न मृदूनन्त: शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,उस महासमरमें सैकड़ों और हजारों हाथीसवार तुरंत ही विपक्षी गजारोहियोंसे भिड़कर परस्पर जूझने और सैनिकोंको रौंदने लगे
gajārohā gajais tūrṇaṃ sannipatya mahāmṛdhe | yodhayantaś ca mṛdnantaḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that great battle, elephant-riders, swiftly closing in with their elephants, collided with the opposing elephant-corps. Then, by the hundreds and by the thousands, they fought one another at close quarters, while their mighty beasts trampled the soldiers underfoot—an image of war’s overwhelming force, where valor and strategy unfold amid indiscriminate destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the scale and momentum of war: once massed forces collide, destruction spreads beyond individual intent. It implicitly highlights the ethical gravity of battlefield decisions—heroic duty and tactical necessity unfold amid suffering that affects many, including ordinary soldiers.
Sañjaya describes a phase of the Kurukṣetra battle where elephant-mounted warriors rapidly converge and clash with enemy elephant-riders. The fighting becomes dense and chaotic, and the elephants crush troops as the engagement expands into hundreds and thousands of combatants.