Shloka 12
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
प्रणेदुर्भिन्नमर्माणो निपेतुश्च गतासव: । प्राद्रवन्त दिश: केचिन्नदन्तो भैरवान् रवान्
sañjaya uvāca | praṇedur bhinnamarmāṇo nipetuś ca gatāsavaḥ | prādravanta diśaḥ kecin nadanto bhairavān ravān |
サンジャヤは言った。「急所の関節や弱点を砕かれた者は、大きく鳴き叫んでから地に倒れ、息絶えた。ほかの者は恐ろしい声を上げつつ四方へ逃げ散った。この光景は戦の残酷な勢いを示す――王権の威光と鍛錬の象徴であった戦象でさえ、武器の力の前に恐慌と崩壊と死へと貶められるのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: strength, training, and royal might (symbolized by elephants) cannot prevent suffering and death when violence escalates. It implicitly cautions against the delusion of control and the ethical cost of warfare.
Sañjaya describes battlefield chaos: some elephants, mortally wounded with their vital points shattered, trumpet and collapse dead; others panic and flee in all directions, emitting terrifying cries.