Shloka 45
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
विध्वस्ता रथिन: सर्वे राजानश्न निपातिता: । हयाश्वैव हयारोहा: संनिकृत्ता: सहस्रश:
sañjaya uvāca | vidhvastā rathinaḥ sarve rājānaś ca nipātitāḥ | hayāś caiva hayārohāḥ saṃnikṛttāḥ sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Semua pahlawan kereta perang tampak hancur; para raja juga seolah-olah ditumbangkan. Kuda dan penunggangnya, beribu-ribu, terkapar tertebas berkeping-keping. Maka, dalam kengerian terhadap tontonan ilusi itu, tenteramu berpaling daripada pertempuran, melihat para pemimpin terunggul dan sahabat seperjuangan mereka seakan-akan tercincang, rebah, dan bersimbah darah—suatu gambaran yang mematahkan keberanian serta menyingkap harga moral peperangan yang mengerikan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war’s horror—whether real or intensified by illusion—can collapse morale and reveal the ethical weight of violence: even mighty kings and elite warriors become vulnerable, and mass slaughter dehumanizes the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports a scene of devastation: chariot-warriors and kings have fallen, and thousands of horses and riders lie cut down. The surrounding context (as reflected in the accompanying Hindi) presents this as a terrifying, illusion-like spectacle that causes the troops to recoil from fighting.