Shloka 16
उत्कृत्य च शिरांस्य॒ुग्रान् बाहूनपि सुभूषणान् । कृत्वा शून्यान् रथोपस्थानुदक्रोशन्महारथान्
utkṛtya ca śirāṁsy ugrān bāhūn api subhūṣaṇān | kṛtvā śūnyān rathopasthān udakrōśan mahārathān ||
サンジャヤは言った。猛き戦士たちの首を刎ね、飾り立てた腕さえも断ち切って、戦車の踏み台を空にし、偉大なる車戦士たちは騒然と叫び立てた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: external marks of status (ornaments, heroic reputation) cannot shield one from destruction. It implicitly warns that martial glory is inseparable from suffering and loss, urging ethical reflection on the cost of violence even when framed as kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes intense fighting in which warriors are slain so decisively that heads and arms are severed, leaving chariots without their fighters. The battlefield resounds with loud cries—shouts of combat, victory, alarm, and grief—among the elite mahārathas.