Shloka 26
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
साथ्वारोहान् हयान् कांचिदुन्मथ्य वरवारणा: । सहसा चिक्षिपुस्तत्र संकुले भैरवे सति,बहुत-से बड़े-बड़े हाथी कितने ही घुड़सवारों-सहित घोड़ोंको पैरोंसे कुचलकर सहसा भयंकर युद्धमें फेंक देते थे
sāśvārūḍhān hayān kāṁcid unmathya varavārāṇāḥ | sahasā cikṣipus tatra saṅkule bhairave sati ||
サンジャヤは言った。群れが入り乱れる恐るべき激突の中で、猛き象たちは、騎手を乗せたままの馬を荒々しく引き起こし、たちまち戦の恐怖のただ中へ投げ落とした。この光景は、力と恐慌が秩序も命も等しく覆す、戦の残酷な奔流を物語っている。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing force of war: once battle becomes crowded and fearsome, sheer power and momentum dominate, and living beings are treated like objects to be crushed or hurled. It implicitly invites reflection on the cost of conflict even within a dharma-framed war.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where powerful elephants, amid a chaotic melee, wrench up horses together with their riders and fling them down, intensifying the terror and confusion of the fight.