Shloka 49
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
पत्तीनां निहता: संघा हयानां प्रयुतानि च । रथव्रजाश्न निहता हताश्न वरवारणा:
pattīnāṁ nihatāḥ saṅghā hayānāṁ prayutāni ca | rathavrajaś ca nihatā hatāś ca varavāraṇāḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Companhias inteiras de infantes foram mortas; dezenas de milhares de cavalos também pereceram. Tropas de carros foram destruídas, e nobres elefantes jaziam mortos—sinal da maré implacável e arruinadora da batalha e do grave custo humano da ambição marcial.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the immense cost of war: not only warriors but also animals and entire military formations are annihilated. Ethically, it invites reflection on how ambition and enmity culminate in widespread suffering, even when framed within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scale of slaughter on the battlefield: masses of infantry are killed, vast numbers of horses fall, chariot troops are destroyed, and great elephants are slain—conveying the ferocity and devastation of the ongoing combat in Karṇa Parva.