Shloka 14
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
नरो बाणविनिर्भिन्नो रथादन्यक्ष मारिष । तत्रान्यस्य च सम्मर्दे पतितस्य विवर्मण:
naro bāṇavinirbhinnō rathād anyakṣa māriṣa | tatrānyasya ca sammarde patitasya vivarmaṇaḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「おお、尊き方よ。矢に貫かれた戦士が戦車から落ちた――車軸は折れていた。そこでは、戦いの押し合いへし合いのただ中で、別の闘士もまた倒れ、鎧を剥がされて横たわっていた。この光景は、武勇も守りも一瞬で崩れ去る、戦の容赦なき平準の力を示している。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly protections—armor, chariots, and martial skill—when confronted with the chaos of battle. Ethically, it points to the sobering reality that violence reduces all to vulnerability, urging reflection on the cost of war even when fought under the banner of duty.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment: a warrior, riddled with arrows, falls from a chariot whose axle has broken; nearby, in the dense melee, another fighter lies fallen and unarmored. The focus is on the immediate devastation and disorder within the combat.