Shloka 20
द्रोण–सात्यकि-युद्धम्
Droṇa–Sātyaki Engagement
वज्रके आघातसे चूर-चूर हुए पर्वतों, वायुके द्वारा संचालित हुए भयंकर बादलों तथा आगममें जले हुए गृहोंके समान रूपवाले बहुत-से हाथी धराशायी हो रहे थे ।। पेतुरश्वसहस््राणि प्रहतान्यर्जुनेषुभि: | हंसा हिमवत: पृष्ठे वारिविप्रहता इव,अर्जुनके बाणोंसे मारे गये सहस्रों घोड़े रणभूमिमें उसी प्रकार पड़े थे, जैसे वर्षाकि जलसे आहत हुए बहुत-से हंस हिमालयकी तलहटीमें पड़े हुए हों
sañjaya uvāca |
petur aśva-sahasrāṇi prahatāny arjuneṣubhiḥ |
haṃsā himavataḥ pṛṣṭhe vāri-viprahatā iva ||
Sañjaya said: Struck down by Arjuna’s arrows, thousands of horses fell upon the battlefield—like flocks of swans on the slopes of Himavat, beaten down by the pelting rain. The image underscores the impersonal devastation of war: living beings, once noble and swift, are reduced to lifeless heaps by the force of martial skill, raising a silent ethical weight amid the triumph of prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it conveys the moral gravity of war through imagery. Even when martial action aligns with kṣatriya-duty, its cost is vast and indiscriminate—life collapses in heaps, prompting reflection on the ethical burden carried by victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s arrows have cut down immense numbers of horses on the battlefield. Their fallen bodies are compared to swans on the Himalayan slopes struck down by heavy rain, emphasizing the scale and suddenness of the slaughter.