Shloka 38
अश्वपृष्लेषु चाप्यन्ये रथनीडेषु चापरे । गजस्कन्धगताश्षान्ये शेरते चापरे क्षितौ,कुछ लोग घोड़ोंकी पीठोंपर, दूसरे रथोंकी बैठकोंमें, कुछ अन्य योद्धा हाथियोंपर तथा दूसरे बहुत-से सैनिक पृथ्वीपर ही सो रहे। कुछ लोग सभी प्रकारके आयुध लिये हुए थे। किन्हींके हाथोंमें गदाएँ थीं। कुछ लोग तलवार और फरसे लिये हुए थे तथा दूसरे बहुत-से मनुष्य प्रास और कवचसे सुशोभित थे। वे सभी अलग-अलग सो रहे थे
aśvapṛṣṭheṣu cāpy anye rathanīḍeṣu cāpare | gajaskandhagatāś cānye śerate cāpare kṣitau ||
सञ्जय उवाच—अश्वपृष्ठेषु केचिद् रथनीडेषु चापरे । गजस्कन्धगताः केचिच्छेरते चापरे क्षितौ ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of violent conflict, human beings remain subject to bodily limits—fatigue, fear, and the need for rest. The verse quietly underscores the fragility of life in war and the moral weight of a battlefield where ordinary human needs persist amid extraordinary destruction.
Sañjaya describes the army at rest: some soldiers sleep mounted on horses, some in chariots, some on elephants, and many on the bare ground. It is a descriptive pause in the war narrative, depicting how the forces are scattered and exhausted between engagements.