Shloka 18
नाज्ञासिषुर्धावमाना बहवश्न महारथा: । संछिन्नान्यात्मगात्राणि वाहनानि च संयुगे,भागते हुए बहुत-से महारथी उस युद्धस्थलमें अपने कटे हुए अंगों और वाहनोंको नहीं जान पाते थे
na jñāsiṣur dhāvamānā bahavaś ca mahārathāḥ | saṃchinnāny ātmagātrāṇi vāhanāni ca saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya said: In the turmoil of battle, many great chariot-warriors, rushing headlong, could not even recognize their own severed limbs and their shattered vehicles. The scene reveals how war overwhelms discernment and self-awareness, reducing even the mighty to confusion amid the consequences of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological cost of war: in extreme violence, even heroic warriors lose clarity and self-recognition. It serves as a cautionary reflection on how conflict can eclipse judgment and humanity, highlighting the grave consequences that accompany kṣatriya warfare even when framed as duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield’s chaos: many elite fighters, charging and fleeing amid carnage, are so disoriented that they fail to notice or recognize their own severed limbs and the wreckage of their vehicles in the midst of the fight.