Shloka 21
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
निपतद्धिस्तथा तैश्व हयसंघै: परस्परम् । शुश्रुवे दारुण: शब्द: सुपर्णपतने यथा,वे अश्वोंके समुदाय परस्पर टकराकर जब गिरते थे, उस समय गरुड़के वेगपूर्वक उतरनेके समान भयंकर शब्द सुनायी देता था
nipatadbhis tathā taiś ca haya-saṅghaiḥ parasparam | śuśruve dāruṇaḥ śabdaḥ suparṇa-patane yathā ||
निपतद्भिस्तथा तैश्च हयसंघैः परस्परम्। शुश्रुवे दारुणः शब्दः सुपर्णपतने यथा॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it conveys the ethical weight of war through sensory detail. By likening the battlefield crash to Garuḍa’s fearsome descent, it emphasizes how collective violence becomes an overwhelming force that crushes living beings, inviting reflection on the cost of adharma and the suffering inherent in armed conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield moment when groups of horses collide with each other and fall. The impact produces a terrifying, thunder-like sound, compared to the powerful swoop of Garuḍa (Suparṇa) descending.