Shloka 593
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
षट्साहसेहयै: शिष्टेरपायाच्छान्तवाहनम् | इसी प्रकार खूनसे नहायी हुई पाण्डव-सेना भी शेष छः: हजार घुड़सवारोंके साथ युद्धसे निवृत्त हो गयी। उसके सारे वाहन थक गये थे
ṣaṭsāhasaiḥ hayaiḥ śiṣṭeḥ apāyāc chāntavāhanam |
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan hanya enam ribu penunggang kuda yang tinggal, pasukan itu berundur dari pertempuran; segala kenderaan dan tunggangannya telah letih. Demikian juga, tentera Pāṇḍava—berlumuran darah—turut mengundurkan diri daripada pertempuran bersama baki enam ribu kavaleri, ketika keletihan menguasai manusia dan tunggangan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a war driven by vows and strategy, physical limits assert themselves: fatigue, loss, and the blood-soaked reality of combat force withdrawal. The passage underscores the human and ethical cost of violence—victory is never untouched by suffering.
Sañjaya reports that after heavy fighting, only six thousand cavalry remain with the force being described, and it retreats as its mounts and conveyances are exhausted. Likewise, the Pāṇḍava army—drenched in blood—also disengages from battle with its remaining six thousand horsemen.