Shloka 36
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
नरांश्व नागान् सरथान् हयान् ममृदुराहवे । अश्चवारोहैर्हता: शूराश्छिन्नहस्ताश्न॒ दन्तिन:
narāṁśva-nāgān sa-rathān hayān mamṛdur āhave | aśvavārohair hatāḥ śūrāś chinna-hastāś ca dantinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle, men, horses, elephants, and chariots were crushed and broken. Brave warriors were slain by mounted horsemen; and even the great elephants were left with their hands (trunks) severed—an image of war’s pitiless force where valor and life alike are cut down amid the chaos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal, indiscriminate nature of war: even the brave and the mighty (heroes and elephants) are reduced to suffering and death. It implicitly cautions that martial glory is inseparable from grievous harm, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of conflict even within kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports the battlefield devastation: men, horses, elephants, and chariots are being crushed; mounted horsemen are killing warriors; and elephants are mutilated (their 'hands'/trunks severed). The scene conveys the intensity and chaos of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva.