Shloka 5
नागान् नागा: समासाद्य व्यधमन्त परस्परम् । हया हयांश्व॒ समरे रथिनो रथिनस्तथा,नागाश्च समरे उयड़ं ममृदु: शीघ्रगा नृप । हाथी हाथियोंसे भिड़कर एक-दूसरेको संताप देने लगे। उस समरांगणमें घोड़े घोड़ों, रथी रथियों एवं पैदल पैदलसमूहों, अश्वसमुदायों तथा रथों और हाथियोंका भी मर्दन कर रहे थे। नरेश्वर! इसी प्रकार रथी हाथी और घोड़ोंका तथा शीघ्रगामी हाथी उस युद्धस्थलमें हाथी सेनाके अन्य तीन अंगोंको रौंदने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | nāgān nāgāḥ samāsādya vyadhamanta parasparam | hayā hayaṃś ca samare rathino rathinas tathā | nāgāś ca samare yuddhaṃ mamṛduḥ śīghragā nṛpa |
Disse Sañjaya: Os elefantes, avançando contra elefantes, golpeavam-se e causavam tormento mútuo. Naquele campo de batalha, cavalos se chocavam com cavalos, e guerreiros de carro com guerreiros de carro; e os elefantes de movimento veloz, ó rei, pisoteavam e esmagavam as forças adversárias no tumulto do combate. Assim, no caos da guerra, cada arma do exército colidia com a sua contraparte, e as grandes feras, impelidas pela velocidade e pela fúria, abatiam-se também sobre as demais divisões.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as vivid battlefield reportage rather than moral instruction: it underscores how war collapses order into mutual harm, where even the organized ‘fourfold army’ (elephants, chariots, cavalry, infantry) becomes a scene of indiscriminate crushing and reciprocal suffering.
Sañjaya describes the clash of the opposing armies: elephants collide with elephants, horses with horses, and chariot-fighters with chariot-fighters, while swift elephants trample and crush troops amid the tumult of the fight.