Shloka 13
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
कौरवाग्रगजानां तु शरीरैर्गतचेतसाम् । क्षणेन संवृता भूमिमेंघैरिव नभस्तलम्,एक ही क्षणमें प्राणहीन हुए कौरवसेनाके आगे चलनेवाले गजराजोंकी लाशोंसे वहाँकी भूमि पट गयी एवं मेघोंकी घटासे आच्छादित आकाशकी भाँति प्रतीत होने लगी
kauravāgragajānāṁ tu śarīrair gatacetasām | kṣaṇena saṁvṛtā bhūmir meghair iva nabhastalam ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: В одно мгновение земля там покрылась телами передовых слонов, шедших во главе кауравского войска, — теперь уже бездыханных; она казалась подобной небу, затянутому громадами туч.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the suddenness and totality with which war brings death: life can vanish in an instant, and the effects of violence can ‘cover’ the world, suggesting an ethical warning about the heavy, far-reaching consequences of conflict.
The leading elephants of the Kaurava force have been killed; their bodies quickly blanket the ground. The scene is compared to the sky being covered by dense clouds, emphasizing how completely the battlefield is overwhelmed.