Shloka 22
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
गजा रथाश्वाः पुरुषाश्व संघश: परस्परघ्ना: परिपेतुराहवे । परस्परं प्रस्खलिता: समाहिता भृशं निपेतुर्बहुभाषिणों हता:
gajā rathāśvāḥ puruṣāś ca saṅghaśaḥ parasparaghnāḥ paripetur āhave | parasparaṃ praskhalitāḥ samāhitā bhṛśaṃ nipetur bahubhāṣiṇo hatāḥ ||
میدانِ جنگ میں جھنڈ کے جھنڈ ہاتھی، رتھ، گھوڑے اور پیادے ایک دوسرے پر وار اور جوابی وار کرتے ہوئے چاروں طرف ٹوٹ پڑے۔ ایک دوسرے کی ضربوں سے سخت زخمی ہو کر وہ لڑکھڑاتے اور گرتے گئے؛ اور بہت سی چیخ و پکار کے بیچ مقتولین ڈھیروں کی صورت میں ڈھیر ہوتے چلے گئے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the self-propagating nature of violence in war: when combatants are locked in mutual aggression (paraspara), order and restraint collapse, leading to indiscriminate suffering and death. Ethically, it functions as a stark reminder of war’s cost and the ease with which human speech and emotion turn into clamour amid destruction.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield at a peak of confusion: elephants, chariots, horses, and infantry surge in masses, striking one another. Many are grievously wounded, stumble, shout, and then fall dead—portraying a chaotic melee rather than orderly duels.