Shloka 15
नराश्वनागा नाराचै: संस्यूता: सव्यसाचिना । बश्रमुश्नस्खलुः पेतुर्नेदुर्मम्लुश्ष मारिष,मान्यवर! सव्यसाची अर्जुनके नाराचोंसे गुथे हुए हाथी, घोड़े और मनुष्य चक्कर काटते, लड़खड़ाते, गिरते, चिल्लाते और मन मारकर रह जाते थे
narāśvanāgā nārācaiḥ saṃsyūtāḥ savyasācinā | babhramuś ca skhaluḥ petur nedur māmruś ca māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: Men, horses, and elephants, transfixed and bound fast by the razor-sharp arrows of Savyasācin (Arjuna), reeled in confusion; they stumbled, fell to the ground, cried out in anguish, and at last lay crushed in spirit. The verse underscores the grim momentum of battle, where martial skill turns into overwhelming force and the living become helpless under the consequences of violent action.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediate human and animal suffering produced by martial excellence in war, pointing to the ethical weight of violence: skill and duty on the battlefield still generate painful consequences that overwhelm living beings.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s arrows (nārācas) have transfixed men, horses, and elephants, causing them to reel, stumble, fall, cry out, and collapse in despair amid the ongoing battle.