Shloka 35
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-प्रहारः तथा घटोत्कचमायाप्रादुर्भावः | Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Clash and the Manifestation of Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā
प्रासैरभिहता: केचिद् गजयोधा: समन्ततः । पतमाना: सम दृश्यन्ते गिरिशृद्भान्नगा इव,कितने ही हाथीसवार प्रासोंसे घायल होकर पर्वतशिखरसे गिरनेवाले वृक्षोंके समान सब ओर हाथियोंकी पीठोंसे गिरते दिखायी देते थे
prāsair abhitāḥ kecid gajayodhāḥ samantataḥ | patamānāḥ sama dṛśyante giriśṛdbhān nagā iva ||
ప్రాసాలతో గాయపడిన కొందరు గజయోధులు చుట్టూరా పడిపోతూ కనిపించారు—పర్వతశిఖరాల నుంచి చెట్లు కూలినట్లుగా।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of warfare: even powerful, elevated fighters (elephant-riders) fall when struck. It implicitly points to the fragility of embodied life and the inevitable suffering produced by violent conflict, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s broader ethical awareness of war’s cost.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where spear-strikes wound elephant-mounted warriors. They are seen falling from the elephants in all directions, compared to trees falling from mountain summits—an image emphasizing both height and sudden collapse.