Shloka 11
कर्णार्जुनयुद्ध-प्रवृत्तिः
Renewal of the Karṇa–Arjuna Engagement at Day’s End
विषाणलग्नाश्षाप्यन्ये परिपेतुर्विभीषणा:,कितनोंको अपने दाँतोंके अग्रभागसे विदीर्ण कर देते और बहुतोंको सूँड्रोंसे खींचकर दूर फेंक देते थे। कितने ही योद्धा उनके दाँतोंमें गुथकर बड़ी भयानक अवस्थामें नीचे गिरते थे
viṣāṇalagnāś cāpy anye paripetur vibhīṣaṇāḥ | kecid dantāgrabhāgena vidīrya nipapātuḥ | bahūn tu śuṇḍābhiḥ kṛṣṭvā dūre nyakṣipan | kecid danteṣu gūḍhāḥ san bhṛśaṃ ghorataraṃ patitāḥ ||
サञ्जयは語った。ある戦士は獣の角に引っ掛かり、恐怖のうちに投げ回された。ある者は牙の先端で裂かれ、多くは鼻に捕らえられて遠くへ放り投げられた。また牙と牙の間に挟まれた者は、最も凄惨なありさまで地に落ちた。この光景は、武勇と義務が、分け隔てなき暴力に覆い隠されてゆく戦の残酷な勢いを、あらわにしている。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing force of war: once unleashed, violence becomes indiscriminate, reducing warriors—regardless of merit—to bodily vulnerability. It implicitly cautions that even when framed as kṣatriya-duty, battle carries grave ethical and human costs.
Sañjaya describes a chaotic battlefield scene involving war-elephants: some fighters are caught on horns, some are ripped by teeth, many are grabbed by trunks and thrown away, and others are crushed or wedged in the elephants’ mouths before falling in a horrific condition.