Shloka 29
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
तत्रैकबाणनिहतानपश्याम महागजान् । पतितान् पात्यमानांश्व निर्भिनज्नान् सव्यसाचिना
tatraika-bāṇa-nihatān apaśyāma mahā-gajān | patitān pātyamānāṁś ca nirbhinna-jñān savyasācinā ||
サञ्जयは語った。「そこでは、サヴィヤサーチン（アルジュナ）によって、巨大な象がただ一矢で討ち倒されるのを我らは見た。すでに倒れ伏すものもあれば、なお次々と倒され、身は裂かれていった。」この偈は、戦場における武芸の恐るべき効率を示す。力と命は一瞬で崩れ去り、たとえ義務の名のもとに戦うとしても、戦の道義的重みがいかに深いかを聴く者に思い起こさせる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring power of a warrior’s skill and the stark reality of war: even the mightiest beings can be destroyed instantly. Implicitly, it invites reflection on the ethical gravity of battlefield action, even when undertaken as kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports what was witnessed on the battlefield: Arjuna (called Savyasācin) is felling huge elephants with single arrows; some lie already dead while others are still being brought down, their bodies visibly torn by the strikes.