Shloka 29
ध्वजानां छिद्यमानानां कार्मुकाणां च मारिष | रथानां सपताकानां तूणीराणां युगैः सह
dhvajānāṃ chidyamānānāṃ kārmukāṇāṃ ca māriṣa | rathānāṃ sapatākānāṃ tūṇīrāṇāṃ yugaiḥ saha
Sañjaya said: “O revered one, there were banners being cut down, bows being shattered, and chariots—still bearing their standards—being broken; even the quivers and the yokes along with their teams were destroyed.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark impermanence of martial power and equipment: banners, bows, chariots, and even supporting gear are swiftly destroyed in war. It implicitly frames the battlefield as a realm where pride in external might collapses, reminding the listener that outcomes hinge on fate, skill, and the relentless nature of conflict rather than mere display.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the intensity of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva. He describes the battlefield scene where standards are severed, bows are broken, and chariots with their flags, quivers, and yokes are being smashed—conveying the scale and ferocity of the ongoing combat.