Shloka 16
विकृष्यमाणैर्जवनैस्तुरड़मै- हतेश्वरै राजरथै: सुकल्पितै: । मनुष्यमातड्ररथाश्वराशिभि- ्रूतं ब्रजन्तो बहुधा विचूर्णिता:,जिनके स्वामी (रथी) मारे गये हैं, राजाओंके उन सुसज्जित रथोंको, जब वेगशाली घोड़े खींचे लिये जाते थे और झुंड-के-झुंड मनुष्य, हाथी, साधारण रथ और अश्व भी भागे जा रहे थे, उस समय उनके द्वारा शीघ्रतापूर्वक भागनेवाले बहुत-से मनुष्य कुचलकर चूर- चूर हो गये हैं
vikṛṣyamāṇair javanaiḥ turaṅgamaiḥ hateśvarai rāja-rathaiḥ sukalpitaiḥ | manuṣya-mātaṅga-rathāśva-rāśibhiḥ drutaṃ vrajanto bahudhā vicūrṇitāḥ ||
Disse Śalya: As carruagens reais, bem aparelhadas—agora privadas de seus senhores, os guerreiros de carro—eram arrastadas por cavalos velozes. E, enquanto multidões de homens, elefantes, carros comuns e cavalos fugiam em confusão, muitos que corriam apressados foram pisoteados e esmagados em pedaços. A cena expõe o custo moral da batalha: quando a liderança cai e a ordem se desfaz, os inocentes e os comuns são destruídos na debandada do medo.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collateral devastation of war: when commanders fall and discipline breaks, fear-driven flight causes indiscriminate harm. Ethically, it underscores that violence spreads suffering beyond intended targets, crushing even those merely trying to survive.
Śalya describes a battlefield rout: masterless, well-equipped royal chariots are pulled away by swift horses, while crowds of men, elephants, chariots, and horses surge in hurried retreat. In the crush of movement, many are trampled and pulverized.