Shloka 57
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
गजवाजिमनुष्याणां शरीराणि शितै: शरै:
gajavājimanuṣyāṇāṃ śarīrāṇi śitaiḥ śaraiḥ
Sañjaya said: With razor-sharp arrows, the bodies of elephants, horses, and men were struck and torn—an image of the battle’s indiscriminate violence, where living beings become mere targets amid the collapse of restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when framed as kṣatriya-duty, battle produces widespread suffering that does not discriminate between mighty beasts and human warriors, reminding the listener of the human and moral cost behind heroic narratives.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene in Karṇa Parva: sharp arrows are striking the bodies of elephants, horses, and men, conveying the intensity of the fighting and the scale of casualties.