Shloka 7
हस्तिहस्तान् हयग्रीवा बाहुनपि च सायुधान् | क्षुरप्रै: शातयामास तावकानां स माधव:,उन मधुवंशी वीरने आपकी सेनाके हाथियोंके शुण्डदण्डों, घोड़ोंकी गर्दनों तथा योद्धाओंकी आयुधोंसहित भुजाओंको भी क्षुरप्रोंद्ारा काट डाला
hastihastān hayagrīvā bāhūn api ca sāyudhān | kṣurapraiḥ śātayāmāsa tāvakānāṃ sa mādhavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: That Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa), using razor‑edged arrows, hewed down the trunk-hands of the elephants, the necks of the horses, and even the arms of the warriors together with their weapons—thus shattering the fighting strength of your troops. The scene underscores the grim ethics of war: skill and resolve are deployed not for sport but to decisively disable the enemy’s capacity to harm, even as the violence reveals the terrible cost of adharma-driven conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral landscape of righteous warfare: when conflict is unleashed, decisive action aims to neutralize the opponent’s ability to inflict harm. It also implicitly warns that adharma-driven war culminates in widespread suffering, where even the mightiest forces—elephants, horses, armed warriors—are reduced by relentless violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) is cutting down components of the Kaurava fighting units—elephants’ trunks, horses’ necks, and warriors’ weapon-bearing arms—using razor-edged arrows, thereby crippling their combat effectiveness.