Shloka 783
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
पत्तय: पत्तिभिनागा: सह नागैहयैहया: । युद्धस्थलमें रथियोंके साथ रथी, पैदलोंके साथ पैदल, हाथियोंके साथ हाथी और घोड़ोंके साथ घोड़े विचित्र युद्ध करते थे
pattayaḥ pattibhir nāgāḥ saha nāgaiḥ hayā hayaiḥ | yuddhasthale rathibhiḥ saha rathī, paidalaiḥ saha paidalaḥ, hastibhiḥ saha hastī, aśvaiḥ saha aśvaḥ vicitraṃ yuddhaṃ cakruḥ ||
サンジャヤは語った。戦場では、戦う者は同類と相まみえた――歩兵は歩兵と、象は象と、馬は馬と、戦車の武者は戦車の武者と。かくして奇妙にして多様な衝突が起こり、戦の秩序は崩れて、同等の者同士の猛き一騎討ちへと変わっていった。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impersonal, system-like nature of war: each arm of the army meets its counterpart, suggesting how conflict reduces individuals to roles and units. Ethically, it underscores the grim inevitability of battle once dharma has been eclipsed by hostility—order persists only as tactical matching, not as moral harmony.
Sañjaya describes the fighting as it unfolds: infantry engage infantry, elephants clash with elephants, horses with horses, and chariot-warriors duel chariot-warriors. The scene conveys a dense, varied melee where similar forces collide across the field.