Shloka 12
पर्यस्तानीव शृुड्राणि ससत्त्वानि महागिरे: । धनंजयशराभ्यस्तै: स्तीर्णा भूर्वरवारणै:
paryastānīva śṛṅgāṇi sasattvāni mahāgireḥ | dhanañjayaśarābhyastaiḥ stīrṇā bhūr varavāraṇaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Medan perang kelihatan seolah-olah puncak-puncak sebuah gunung besar—yang masih menanggung makhluk hidup—telah dihumban jatuh. Bumi bertaburan dengan gajah-gajah mulia, dipanah dan ditundukkan oleh anak panah Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), hingga terbaring merata di tanah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile to highlight the immense cost of war: even the strongest and most majestic beings fall when violence is unleashed. It invites ethical reflection on how martial excellence, though celebrated, also produces widespread suffering and irreversible loss.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene after Arjuna’s assault: the ground is covered with fallen elephants, struck by Arjuna’s arrows, appearing like mountain-peaks toppled down—an image conveying both scale and devastation.