Shloka 65
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
खड़गेनान्यांश्व चिच्छेद नादेनान्यांश्व भीषयन् । ऊरुवेगेन चाप्यन्यान् पातयामास भूतले
khaḍgenānyāṁś ca ciccheda nādenānyāṁś ca bhīṣayan | ūruvegena cāpy anyān pātayāmāsa bhūtale ||
संजय म्हणाला—तो खड्गाने अनेकांना छेदत असे, आपल्या भयंकर गर्जनेने अनेकांना भयभीत करी, आणि उरूंच्या वेगाने अनेकांना भूमीवर पाडीत असे. अशा रणोन्मादात कधी पायाखाली तुडवून, कधी उचलून आपटून, कधी तलवारीने कापून, तर कधी भयानेच शत्रूंचे बळ मोडीत तो सर्वत्र धुमाकूळ घालीत होता.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, power operates through multiple instruments—weaponry, physical force, and fear. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: kṣatriya duty in battle can demand ferocity, yet the narrative simultaneously exposes the dehumanizing, fear-driven mechanics of violence.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s overwhelming onslaught: he cuts down opponents with a sword, terrifies others with a thunderous roar, and knocks many to the ground through sheer bodily force (described as the ‘force of the thighs’), portraying a chaotic scene of rout and slaughter.