Shloka 26
ऐरावतकुले चैव तथान्येषु कुलेषु च । जाता दन्तिवरा राजन् शेरते बहवो हता:
airāvatakule caiva tathānyēṣu kulēṣu ca | jātā dantivarā rājan śērātē bahavō hatāḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó rei, muitos excelentes elefantes de presas—nascidos na linhagem de Airāvata e também em outras linhagens célebres—jaziam ali mortos, espalhados pela terra.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the devastating reach of war: even the most powerful instruments of kingship and battle—great tusked elephants from renowned lineages—are reduced to lifeless bodies. It implicitly warns of the moral and material ruin that accompanies unchecked conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield aftermath: numerous war elephants, including those of the celebrated Airāvata lineage and other lineages, have been killed and lie scattered on the ground, highlighting the intensity of the fighting.