Shloka 25
ततोडन्तरिक्षे च रथाश्चनागं चिच्छेद तूर्ण नकुलश्रित्रयोधी । ते प्रापतन्नसिना गां विशस्ता यथाश्वमेधे पशव: शमित्रा,फिर विचित्र रीतिसे युद्ध करनेवाले नकुलने बड़े-बड़े रथियों, सवारोंसहित घोड़ों और हाथियोंको तुरंत ही आकाशमें तलवार घुमाकर काट डाला। वे अश्वमेध-यज्ञमें शामित्र कर्म करनेवाले पुरुषके द्वारा मारे गये पशुओंके समान तलवारसे कटकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca |
tato 'ntarikṣe ca rathāś ca nāgaṃ ciccheda tūrṇaṃ nakulaḥ śitatrayodhī |
te prāpatann asinā gāṃ viśastā yathāśvamedhe paśavaḥ śamitrā ||
Sañjaya disse: Então Nakula—rápido e hábil no uso de armas cortantes—abateu depressa carros e até um elefante, como se sua espada golpeasse no próprio ar ao girar. Mortos pelo fio, caíram à terra como animais sacrificiais despachados pelo sacerdote śamitṛ no rito do Aśvamedha.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses sacrificial imagery to frame battlefield killing as grimly systematic and inevitable: martial action can resemble ritual dispatch, highlighting how war turns life into offerings. It invites reflection on the ethical weight of violence even when performed as a warrior’s duty.
Sañjaya describes Nakula’s swift swordsmanship: he cuts down enemy chariots and an elephant, and the slain fall to the ground. Their fall is compared to animals killed by the śamitṛ in the Aśvamedha sacrifice.