Shloka 55
गजाश्न रथयोधाश्व परिपेतु: समन्ततः । विकीर्णाश्व रथा भूमौ भग्नचक्रयुगध्वजा:
gajāś ca rathayodhāś ca paripetuḥ samantataḥ | vikīrṇāśva-rathā bhūmau bhagna-cakra-yuga-dhvajāḥ ||
गजाश्च रथयोधाश्च समन्ततः परिपेतुः। विकीर्णाश्वरथाः भूमौ भग्नचक्रयुगध्वजाः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the transience of martial power and the ethical weight of warfare: the proud symbols of victory—chariots, banners, and war-elephants—end as broken objects on the ground, reminding the listener that violence inevitably produces ruin and suffering beyond mere triumph.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: elephants and chariot-warriors are being struck down everywhere, and many chariots lie scattered because their essential parts—wheels, yokes, and standards—have been smashed in combat.