Shloka 30
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
सूपस्करैरधिष्ठानैरीषादण्डकबन्धुरै: । चक्रैविमथितैरक्षैर्भग्नैश्न बहुधा युगे,सुन्दर उपकरणों, बैठकों, ईषादण्ड, बन्धनरज्जुओं और पहियोंसहित रथ चूर-चूर हो रहे थे। उनके धुरे टूट गये थे और जूए टुकड़े-टुकड़े होकर पड़े थे। बहुत-सी ढालों और धनुषोंको लिये-दिये वे टूटे हुए रथ इधर-उधर बिखरे पड़े थे। बहुत-से हार, आभूषण, वस्त्र और बड़े-बड़े ध्वज धरतीपर गिरे हुए थे। अनेक हाथी और घोड़े मारे गये थे तथा बहुत-से क्षत्रिय भी धराशायी कर दिये गये थे। इन सबके कारण वहाँकी भूमि देखनेमें अत्यन्त भयंकर जान पड़ती थी
sa-upaskarair adhiṣṭhānaiḥ īṣā-daṇḍaka-bandhuraiḥ | cakrair vimathitair akṣair bhagnaiś ca bahudhā yuge ||
Sañjaya said: The battlefield was strewn with chariots shattered to pieces—still bearing their fine fittings and platforms, their poles and yoke-bands, their wheels mangled, their axles crushed, and their yokes broken in many places. Such wreckage, mixed with fallen weapons and the signs of violent struggle, made the ground appear terrifying—an image of war’s ruin where prowess is displayed, yet life and order are relentlessly undone.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark aftermath of battle: even the finest instruments of power—chariots with their elaborate fittings—are reduced to wreckage. It implicitly points to the fragility of worldly strength and the heavy cost that accompanies kṣatriya warfare, inviting reflection on responsibility and the consequences of violence.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a vivid scene from the Kurukṣetra war: chariots lie broken with wheels, axles, and yokes smashed. The description functions as a panoramic battlefield tableau, emphasizing the intensity of the fighting and the terror of the ground littered with ruined war-gear.