Shloka 33
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
परिपेतुर्हयाश्चात्र केचिच्छस्त्रकृतव्रणा: । रथान् विपरिकर्षन्तो हतेषु रथयोथधिषु
paripetur hayāś cātra kecic chastrakṛtavraṇāḥ | rathān viparikṛṣanto hateṣu rathayodhiṣu ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di sana-sini di medan perang itu, ada kuda-kuda yang terluka oleh hentaman senjata lalu berlari liar. Walaupun para pahlawan kereta perangnya telah terbunuh, mereka masih menyeret kereta-kereta itu, melarikan diri dan akhirnya rebah—menyingkapkan momentum perang yang tidak berbelas kasihan, sehingga bahkan binatang yang tidak berdosa dipaksa melampaui daya tahan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the collateral suffering and moral cost of war: even animals, lacking agency in human conflict, are injured and driven onward by the machinery of battle, prompting reflection on compassion and the tragic momentum of violence.
Sañjaya describes chaotic scenes on the battlefield where weapon-wounded horses, their chariot-warriors already killed, still pull the chariots in panic and confusion until they finally fall.