Shloka 15
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ६६: तुमुलसंग्रामवर्णनम्
The Tumult of Battle Described
सादिनश्चाश्वपृष्ठेभ्यो भूमौ चापि पदातिन: । गदया व्यधमत् सर्वान् वातो वृक्षानिवौजसा
sādinaścāśvapṛṣṭhebhyo bhūmau cāpi padātinaḥ | gadayā vyadhamat sarvān vāto vṛkṣānivaujasā ||
サンジャヤは言った。彼はガダーで皆を打ち倒した――騎兵は馬上から叩き落とされ、歩兵も地に伏した――それは大風が樹木を根こそぎ倒すがごとくであった。この句は、戦場の暴力がもつ圧倒的で非情な力を示す。力と勢いは身分を問わず隊列を散らし、戦の迅速で平等な破壊を聴く者に思い起こさせる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war’s force can become indiscriminate and leveling: mounted and unmounted alike are felled when overwhelming power is unleashed. Ethically, it invites reflection on the destructive momentum of battle and the fragility of human position amid violence.
Sañjaya describes a warrior using a mace to smash through enemy ranks, knocking cavalry from their horses and striking down infantry on the ground, compared to a strong wind that uproots trees.