Mahabharata 9.3.13 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 13
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
पदातिसंघाश्षाश्वौधै: पलायद्विर्भुशं हता: । भागते हुए हाथियोंने बहुत-से रथ तोड़ डाले, बड़े-बड़े रथोंने घुड़सवारोंको कुचल दिया और दौड़ते हुए अश्वसमूहोंने पैदल सैनिकोंको अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया ।।
padātisaṅghāś ca aśvaughaiḥ palāyadbhir bhuśaṃ hatāḥ | vyāla-taskara-saṅkīrṇe sārtha-hīnā yathā vane ||
Санджая сказал: Толпы пехоты были жестоко поражены потоками коней, мчавшихся в бегстве. Поле брани, ввергнутое в смятение паникой и топотом, казалось лесом, где караван, лишённый вожатых и порядка, рассеян среди зверей и разбойников — образ того, как война рушится в беззаконие и страх.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how quickly war dissolves social and moral order: once fear and flight take over, even one’s own forces become instruments of harm, and the scene resembles a lawless wilderness where the unprotected are prey to danger.
Sañjaya describes a rout and confusion in battle: rushing, fleeing masses of horses crush and grievously injure the infantry, and the field becomes like a forest where a caravan without leadership is scattered amid beasts and robbers.
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