Mahabharata 7.92.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 92, Shloka 23
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
युद्धके मैदानमें चक्कर काटते हुए हाथियोंपर बहुत-से मनुष्य इस प्रकार लटक रहे थे, मानो उन्हें किसी यन्त्रसे वहाँ जड़ दिया गया हो। उनके कवच नष्ट हो गये थे। वे घावसे पीड़ित और खूनसे लथपथ हो रहे थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yuddhakṣetre maṇḍalīkurvatsu gajeṣu bahavo manuṣyā evaṃ lambamānā dṛśyante sma yathā yantrair iva tatra niyojitāḥ | teṣāṃ kavacāni naṣṭāni | vraṇapīḍitā raktāplutāś ca babhūvuḥ || kecid ekena bāṇena suyuktena supatriṇā | dvau trayas ca vinirbhinnā nipetur dharaṇītale ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa larangan, habang umiikot ang mga elepante, maraming tao ang nakabitin sa kanila na para bang ikinabit ng isang kasangkapan. Wasak na ang kanilang baluti; sugatan, pinahihirapan, at basang-basa sa dugo. At may ilan pang tinamaan ng iisang palasong mahusay ang tama at may magagandang balahibo, na tumusok—dalawa, maging tatlo, nang sabay—at bumagsak sa lupa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim reality of war: skill and weaponry can turn human life into something expendable. Ethically, it presses the listener to recognize the cost of violence—beyond victory and strategy—by foregrounding suffering, bodily vulnerability, and the dehumanizing momentum of battle.
Sañjaya describes a chaotic battlefield scene with elephants circling. Men hang from the elephants, their armor destroyed and bodies bleeding. He then notes that a single well-aimed, well-fletched arrow can pierce through two or three at once, who then collapse to the ground.
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