Shloka 24
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
सवर्मध्वजशस्त्रैश्न पतितै: संवृतां महीम् । हस्त्यश्वरथदेहां श्व गतासून् प्रेक्ष्य सर्वश:
sa varma-dhvaja-śastraiś ca patitaiḥ saṁvṛtāṁ mahīm | hasty-aśva-ratha-dehāṁś ca gatāsūn prekṣya sarvaśaḥ ||
सवर्मध्वजशस्त्रैश्च पतितैः संवृतां महीम् । हस्त्यश्वरथदेहांश्च गतासून् प्रेक्ष्य सर्वशः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of warfare: even when framed as kṣatriya-dharma, battle leaves the earth littered with instruments of violence and lifeless bodies, reminding the listener that victory is inseparable from suffering and moral consequence.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield scene: the ground is strewn with fallen armor, standards, and weapons, and the corpses of elephants, horses, and chariot-fighters lie everywhere—an image of total devastation after intense fighting.