Shloka 15
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
नासीद् रथपथस्तत्र योधैर्युधि निपातितै: । गजैश्न पतितैर्नीलैर्गिरिशूज्ैरिवावृत:,वहाँ युद्धस्थलमें गिराये हुए योद्धाओं तथा पर्वतके श्याम शिखरोंके समान पड़े हुए हाथियोंसे अवरुद्ध हो जानेके कारण रथोंके आने-जानेके लिये रास्ता नहीं रह गया था
sañjaya uvāca | nāsīd rathapathas tatra yodhair yudhi nipātitaiḥ | gajaiś ca patitair nīlair giriśṛṅgair ivāvṛtaḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「そこではもはや戦車の通る道はなかった。戦いに倒れた兵たちと、黒々と崩れ伏した象が山の黒峰のように横たわり、戦場を塞いでいたからである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming, disordering force of war: when violence escalates, even the basic structures that enable action—roads, movement, command—collapse under the weight of death and ruin, reminding the listener of the grave human and moral cost of conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield so crowded with fallen warriors and massive elephants that the chariot-lanes are completely obstructed; movement becomes impossible, conveying the intensity and devastation of the fighting.