Shloka 63
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
नागाश्च समरे उयड़ं ममृदु: शीघ्रगा नृप । हाथी हाथियोंसे भिड़कर एक-दूसरेको संताप देने लगे। उस समरांगणमें घोड़े घोड़ों
sañjaya uvāca | nāgāś ca samare yuddhe mṛdūḥ śīghragā nṛpa | hastī hastibhir āhūya parasparaṃ santāpayām āsuḥ | tatra samaraṅgaṇe aśvā aśvaiḥ rathino rathibhiḥ padātayaḥ padātibhiḥ samūhāś ca aśvasamudāyā rathāś ca hastinaś ca mardayām āsuḥ | nareśvara! evaṃ rathino hastinaś ca aśvān ca tathā śīghragā hastinaḥ tasmin yuddhasthale hastisenāyā anyān trīn aṅgān api ruroduḥ |
サンジャヤは言った。「おお、王よ。その戦いでは、突進の速い戦象が戦象にぶつかり合い、互いに苦しめ合った。戦場では馬は馬と、戦車の武者は戦車の武者と、歩兵は歩兵の群れと衝突し、騎兵の大群、戦車、戦象が四方を押し潰し踏みにじった。かくして、おお、人の主よ。戦車の戦士は象と馬へと押し寄せ、俊敏な戦象は戦いのただ中で、象軍のほかの三部—騎兵・戦車・歩兵—を踏み荒らし、軍の整然たる構えは崩れ、相互の滅びへと溶けていった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war collapses orderly formations into indiscriminate mutual harm: even the structured fourfold army (elephants, chariots, cavalry, infantry) becomes a scene of trampling and torment, highlighting the ethical cost and dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sanjaya describes the melee: elephants collide with elephants; horses, charioteers, and infantry engage their counterparts; and the fast-charging elephants end up trampling not only enemies but also the other arms of the army, intensifying confusion and destruction on the battlefield.