Shloka 11
जैसे बिजलीकी चमक और गर्जनासे युक्त मेघ भयंकर वायुके वेगसे ताड़ित हो सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंसे गिर जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार रथों, घोड़ों, हाथियों और पैदलोंद्वारा परस्पर मारे जाकर वे युद्धपरायण योद्धा धराशायी होने लगे ।। तत: शतानीकमतान् महागजां- स्तथा रथान् पत्तिगणांश्व तान् बहून् | जघान भोजस्तु हयानथापतन् क्षणाद् विशस्ता: कृतवर्मण: शरै:,तदनन्तर शतानीकद्वारा सम्मानित विशाल गजराजों, अश्वों, रथों और बहुत-से पैदलसमूहोंको कृतवर्माने मार डाला। वे कृतवर्माके बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न हो क्षणभरमें धरतीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca | yathā vidyutprabhāgarjanayuktā meghā bhayaṅkaravāyuvegatāḍitāḥ sarvato diśaḥ patanti, tathā rathāśvahastipattibhir anyonyam āhatā yuddhaparā yodhā bhūmau nipetuḥ || tataḥ śatānīkasammatān mahāgajān tathā rathān pattigaṇāṃś ca tān bahūn | jaghāna bhojas tu hayān athāpatat kṣaṇād viśastāḥ kṛtavarmaṇaḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Assim como nuvens, faiscando relâmpagos e ribombando trovões, quando atingidas pelo ímpeto de um vento terrível, parecem desabar e derramar-se de todos os lados, do mesmo modo os guerreiros—inteiramente voltados à batalha—começaram a cair por terra, abatidos no morticínio mútuo por carros, cavalos, elefantes e infantes. Então Kṛtavarman, da linhagem Bhoja, abateu os grandes elefantes honrados por Śatānīka, bem como carros, cavalos e muitas companhias de infantaria; dilacerados pelas flechas de Kṛtavarman, tombaram ao chão num instante.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of embodied life amid war: even the honored and well-supported can fall instantly when violence is unleashed. The storm-cloud simile frames battle as a force of nature—overwhelming, indiscriminate, and ethically sobering—inviting reflection on impermanence and the grave cost of kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya describes a surge of battlefield destruction: warriors collapse like storm-clouds driven down by fierce winds. In that moment Kṛtavarman (of the Bhojas) cuts down great elephants favored by Śatānīka, along with chariots, horses, and many foot-soldiers, who fall immediately, torn by his arrows.