Shloka 15
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
सा कृत्वा स्यन्दनं भस्म हयांश्नैव ससारथीन् | पपात धरणीं तूर्ण दारयन्तीव भारत,भारत! वह गदा तुरंत ही श्रुतकर्माके रथ, घोड़ों और सारथिको भस्म करके पृथ्वीको विदीर्ण करती हुई-सी गिर पड़ी
sā kṛtvā syandanaṃ bhasma hayāṃś caiva sa-sārathīn | papāta dharaṇīṃ tūṛṇaṃ dārayantīva bhārata ||
Sañjaya thưa: Cây chùy ấy đã thiêu rụi chiến xa của Śrutakarman thành tro bụi—cả ngựa lẫn người đánh xe—rồi rơi phập xuống đất thật nhanh, như thể muốn bổ toạc mặt đất vậy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate and cascading destructiveness of battle: a single weapon’s force can annihilate not only an enemy’s martial ‘equipment’ but also the living attendants bound to it. Ethically, it points to the grim cost of kṣatriya warfare—where prowess and wrath quickly become mass harm, reminding the listener of war’s moral weight.
Sañjaya describes a mace striking with such power that it turns a chariot—together with its horses and charioteers—into ashes. After the impact, the mace drops rapidly to the ground, seeming to tear the earth as it falls, emphasizing the ferocity and momentum of the ongoing combat.