Shloka 38
Śalya-parva Adhyāya 26 — Duryodhana’s remnant formation and rapid engagements
हत्वा शतसहस््राणि पत्तीनां परमेषुभि: । वाजिनां च शतान्यष्टौ पाण्डव: सम विराजते,तदनन्तर भीमसेनने आवरणोंसहित पाँच सौ विशाल रथोंका संहार करके युद्धमें सात सौ हाथियोंकी सेनाको पुनः मार गिराया। फिर उत्तम बाणोंद्वारा एक लाख पैदलों और सवारोंसहित आठ सौ घोड़ोंका वध करके पाण्डव भीमसेन विजयश्रीसे सुशोभित होने लगे
hatvā śatasahasrāṇi pattīnāṃ parameṣubhiḥ | vājīnāṃ ca śatāny aṣṭau pāṇḍavaḥ samavirājate ||
Sañjaya said: Having slain hundreds of thousands of foot-soldiers with his finest arrows, and likewise eight hundreds of horses, the Pāṇḍava (Bhīmasena) shone forth on the battlefield. The passage underscores the terrible scale of destruction in war: prowess brings visible ‘victory-glory,’ yet it is inseparable from mass suffering, reminding the listener that triumph in battle is ethically weighty and never merely celebratory.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of martial glory: a warrior may ‘shine’ through victory, yet that radiance is built upon immense loss of life. It invites reflection on the ethical gravity of warfare even when performed as kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya reports Bhīmasena’s battlefield feat: he kills vast numbers of infantry with superb arrows and also destroys eight hundred horses, after which he appears resplendent with victory on the field.