Shloka 19
रथिनो रथिभश्रि: सार्थमश्वचारोहाश्ष सादिभि: | मातड़् वरमातज्जैः पदाताश्ष पदातिभि:,रथी रथियोंके, घुड़सवार घुड़सवारोंके, मतवाले हाथी श्रेष्ठ गजराजोंके और पैदल योद्धा पैदलोंके साथ युद्ध कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | rathino rathibhiḥ sārdham aśvacārā rohāś ca sādibhiḥ | mattavāra-mataṅgajaiḥ padātāś ca padātibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that tumult of battle, chariot-warriors fought alongside chariot-warriors; horsemen engaged horsemen; mighty, rutting elephants clashed with the foremost elephant-lords; and foot-soldiers met foot-soldiers. Thus the armies confronted their equals in each arm of war, intensifying the violence of the conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how war escalates when each combat arm meets its counterpart—chariot against chariot, horse against horse, elephant against elephant, foot against foot—showing the organized, reciprocal nature of kṣatriya warfare and the resulting intensification of destruction.
Sañjaya reports that the battle has become fully engaged across all divisions of the armies. Each type of warrior—charioteers, cavalry, elephant corps, and infantry—has found its matching opponent and is fighting in close contest.