Shloka 34
गजान् सकड़्कटान् मत्तान् सारोहानू सपताकिन: । पतत: समपश्याम सपक्षान् पर्वतानिव
gajān sakaḍkaṭān mattān sārohānū sapatākinaḥ | patataḥ samapaśyāma sapakṣān parvatān iva ||
Sañjaya said: We saw maddened elephants—armoured and bearing riders and banners—falling in the battle, like mountains with wings crashing down. The scene conveyed the terrible momentum of war: even the mightiest supports of an army, once driven into frenzy and then struck down, become instruments of ruin, warning how violence turns strength into catastrophe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly might: even the most formidable war-assets—maddened, armoured elephants with riders and standards—can be brought down, turning grandeur into devastation. It implicitly cautions against pride in power and highlights the catastrophic, dehumanizing force of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he witnesses on the battlefield: war-elephants, equipped with armour, riders, and banners, are collapsing under attack. Their fall is compared to winged mountains crashing down, emphasizing the scale and terror of the combat.