Shloka 18
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
गदामुसलरुग्णानां भिन्नानां च वरासिभि: | दन्तिदन्तावभिन्नानां मृदितानां च दन्तिभि:
sañjaya uvāca | gadāmusalarugṇānāṃ bhinnānāṃ ca varāsibhiḥ | dantidantāvabhinnānāṃ mṛditānāṃ ca dantibhiḥ ||
ສັນຊະຍາກ່າວວ່າ: ໃນສະໜາມຮົບນັ້ນ ຊາຍຫຼາຍຄົນຖືກຕີດ້ວຍຄອນແລະກະບອກຈົນແຂນຂາແຕກຫັກ; ຫຼາຍຄົນຖືກຟັນຂາດດ້ວຍດາບຊັ້ນດີ; ຫຼາຍຄົນຖືກງາຊ້າງຈິ້ມຈົນຮ່າງກາຍຂາດຮອຍ ແລະຫຼາຍຄົນຖືກຊ້າງຢ່ຳຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ກອງນັກຮົບນັບບໍ່ຖ້ວນ ທີ່ເກືອບຈະຕາຍ ຈຶ່ງຮ້ອງເອີ້ນກັນໄປມາ. ໂອ ພາຣະຕະ ສຽງຄຳຄວນອັນນ່າສະພຶງຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ ດັງຂຶ້ນຄ້າຍສຽງອື້ອອຶງຂອງວິນຍານ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the concrete suffering produced by warfare—maiming, dismemberment, trampling—thereby sharpening the ethical tension in the epic: even when war is framed as dharma for kṣatriyas, its reality is mass anguish, demanding sober moral reflection rather than triumphalism.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scene on the battlefield: warriors are broken by maces and clubs, cut down by swords, ripped by elephants’ tusks, and crushed under elephants, while the half-dead cry out in terrifying lamentation.