Shloka 983
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
अताडयंस्तथाभज्जंस्तथामृदनंश्च॒ भारत । भारत! हाथी हाथियोंपर और बिना सवारके घोड़े घोड़ोंपर आक्रमण करके एक- दूसरेपर चोट करने लगे। उन्होंने अंग-भंग करके एक-दूसरेको रौंद डाला
sañjaya uvāca | atāḍayaṃs tathābhajjaṃs tathā mṛdnantaś ca bhārata |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: O Bhārata, sila’y naghambalos, nagwasak, at nagyurakan sa isa’t isa. Ang mga elepante’y sumalakay sa mga elepante, at ang mga kabayong walang sakay ay rumagasa sa mga kabayo, nagsusugatan sa isa’t isa; nababali ang mga paa’t kamay, at sa ilalim ng yabag ay nagkakadurug-durog—larawan ng kaguluhan ng digmaan, kung saan maging ang mga hayop, kapag nawalan ng paggabay, ay nagiging kasangkapan at biktima ng pagwasak.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war unleashes uncontrolled destruction: when order and discernment collapse, even animals—normally guided by humans—turn upon each other, illustrating the ethical cost and indiscriminate suffering produced by violence.
Sañjaya describes battlefield turmoil in the Sauptika episode: elephants clash with elephants and riderless horses collide with horses, striking, breaking, and trampling each other amid the carnage.