Shloka 15
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति उपालम्भः
Bhīṣma’s Reproof to Duryodhana
शरशव्त्यूष्टिनाराचैर्निघ्नन्तो गजयोधिन: । भिन्दिपालैस्तथा शूलैर्मुद्गरैः सपरश्वधै:
sañjaya uvāca | śaraśaktyūṣṭhinārācair nighnanto gajayodhinaḥ | bhindipālaiś tathā śūlair mudgaraiḥ saparaśvadhaiḥ ||
संजय म्हणाला—हत्तीवरून लढणारे योद्धे बाण, शक्ति, ऋष्टि व नाराच यांनी शत्रूंना पाडीत होते; तसेच भिन्दिपाल, शूल, मुद्गर आणि परश्वधांनीही. अनेक आयुधांची ती अखंड, निर्दय हिंसा होती—जिथे कौशल्य संयमासाठी नव्हे, विनाशासाठीच झेपावत होते।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how, in war, power and skill manifest as relentless harm through many instruments. In ethical reflection, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya warfare as duty and the tragic human cost of unrestrained violence.
Sañjaya reports intense fighting in which elephant-mounted warriors are striking down opponents using a range of weapons—arrows, javelins, heavy clubs, darts, spears, maces, and axes—emphasizing the ferocity and variety of combat on the battlefield.