Shloka 36
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
गदाविमशथितैगत्रिर्मुसलैर्भिन्नमस्तकान् | गजवाजिरथीै: क्षुण्णान् पश्य योधान् सहस्रश:,“देखो, ये सहस्रों योद्धा हाथी, घोड़ों और रथोंसे कुचल गये हैं। गदाओंके आघातसे इनके अंग चूर-चूर हो गये हैं और मुसलोंकी मारसे मस्तक फट गये हैं
gadāvimathitāṅgatrir muśalaiś chinnamastakān | gajavājirathaiḥ kṣuṇṇān paśya yodhān sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold these warriors by the thousands—crushed beneath elephants, horses, and chariots; their limbs shattered by the blows of maces, and their heads split open by the strikes of clubs. Such is the dreadful harvest of battle, where strength and fury, unrestrained by compassion, reduce human bodies to ruin.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal consequences of war: when force becomes the sole measure, bodies and lives are destroyed en masse. It implicitly invites ethical reflection on violence and the heavy cost borne by warriors and society, even within the framework of kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is visible on the battlefield: countless fighters lie dead or mangled—trampled by elephants, horses, and chariots, and smashed by heavy weapons like maces and clubs—conveying the scale and horror of the fighting.