Shloka 24
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
सवर्मध्वजशस्त्रैश्न पतितै: संवृतां महीम् । हस्त्यश्वरथदेहां श्व गतासून् प्रेक्ष्य सर्वश:
sa varma-dhvaja-śastraiś ca patitaiḥ saṁvṛtāṁ mahīm | hasty-aśva-ratha-dehāṁś ca gatāsūn prekṣya sarvaśaḥ ||
サञ्जयは言った。「倒れた鎧、旗、武器が至るところに散り敷き、大地を覆っているのを見、また四方に、象や馬、戦車の武者たちの命なき屍が横たわるのを見て、彼は戦場の荒廃を見つめた。それは、戦の道義的な代償と、殺戮のただ中で人の自制が崩れ落ちるさまを、冷然と証し立てるものであった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of warfare: even when framed as kṣatriya-dharma, battle leaves the earth littered with instruments of violence and lifeless bodies, reminding the listener that victory is inseparable from suffering and moral consequence.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield scene: the ground is strewn with fallen armor, standards, and weapons, and the corpses of elephants, horses, and chariot-fighters lie everywhere—an image of total devastation after intense fighting.