Shloka 77
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
रथैर्दविपा द्विरदवरैर्महाहया हयैर्नरा वररथिभिश्न वाजिन: । निरस्तजिल्लादशनेक्षणा: क्षितौ क्षयं गता: प्रमथितवर्म भूषणा:,रथियोंने हाथियोंको, गजराजोंने बड़े-बड़े घोड़ोंको, घुड़सवारोंने पैदलोंको तथा श्रेष्ठ रथियोंने घुड़सवारोंको धराशायी कर दिया। उनकी जिह्ठा, दाँत और नेत्र--ये सब बाहर निकल आये थे। कवच और आभूषण टुकड़े टुकड़े होकर पड़े थे। ऐसी अवस्थामें वे सब योद्धा पृथ्वीपर गिरकर नष्ट हो गये थे
rathair dvipā dviradavaraīr mahāhayā hayair narā vararathibhiś ca vājinaḥ | nirastajihvādantanetraṇāḥ kṣitau kṣayaṃ gatāḥ pramathitavarmabhūṣaṇāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that slaughter, charioteers struck down elephants; the best of elephants brought down great horses; horsemen felled foot-soldiers; and foremost chariot-warriors overthrew the cavalry. Cast upon the earth, their tongues, teeth, and eyes were forced out; their armor and ornaments were shattered. Thus, mangled and stripped of their protections, those warriors fell to the ground and perished—an image of war’s pitiless unraveling of bodily dignity and worldly splendor.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal impermanence of bodily life and worldly splendor in war: armor and ornaments—symbols of status and protection—are easily shattered, and the body is reduced to a mangled state. Ethically, it functions as a stark reminder of the cost of kṣatriya conflict and the fragility of external power.
Sañjaya reports a chaotic sequence of battlefield reversals: chariot-warriors bring down elephants, elephant-lords crush great horses, horsemen cut down foot-soldiers, and elite chariot-fighters overthrow cavalry. The fallen lie on the ground with horrific injuries, their armor and ornaments broken, indicating widespread slaughter.