Shloka 256
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
न्यपतन्त गतप्राणा: शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । राजन! जिनके सवार मार दिये गये थे, ऐसे हाथी और घोड़े सैकड़ों और हजारोंकी संख्यामें निष्प्राण होकर पड़े थे
nyapatanta gataprāṇāḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, beratus-ratus bahkan beribu-ribu gajah perang dan kuda—yang penunggangnya telah terbunuh—rebah jatuh tidak bernyawa, terbaring kaku di seluruh medan laga, menjadi saksi yang dingin akan kebinasaan apabila pertempuran menelan bukan sahaja manusia, malah makhluk yang terikat untuk berkhidmat kepada mereka.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral cost of war: death spreads beyond warriors to animals and dependents, highlighting impermanence and the collateral suffering that accompanies armed conflict even when framed within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the battlefield is strewn with lifeless elephants and horses in vast numbers, especially those whose riders have already been killed, emphasizing the scale and devastation of the fighting.