Shloka 23
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
अभ्याहता हयारोहा ऋष्टिभिर्भरतर्षभ,पतिता: पात्यमानाश्र प्रत्यदृश्यन्त सर्वश: । राजन! सवारोंसहित वहाँ मारे गये बहुत-से घोड़े सब ओर गिरे और गिराये जाते हुए दिखायी देते थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
abhyāhatā hayārohā ṛṣṭibhir bharatarṣabha,
patitāḥ pātyamānāś ca pratyadṛśyanta sarvaśaḥ |
rājan! savārāḥ sahitā tatra mārā bahavo hayāḥ
sarvato nipatitāś ca nipātyamānāś ca dṛśyante ||
vadhyamānā hayāś caiva prādravan bhayārdītāḥ ||
桑迦耶说道：婆罗多族之雄啊，那些被长矛刺中的骑士遍处可见——有的已然倒下，有的正被掀落马下。哦，大王，那里有许多战马连同骑者一并被杀；四面八方都看见他们崩倒、被击落。战马在被砍杀之际，因恐惧而惊惶奔逃。此景昭示战争那无情而无面的毁灭：勇气与技艺被暴力吞没，连无辜的牲畜也分担了人类冲突所造就的惊怖与苦痛。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate suffering produced by war: not only warriors but also animals are overwhelmed by fear and destruction. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of violence and the way conflict consumes both the guilty and the innocent.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where spear-strikes bring down mounted fighters; riders and horses fall in large numbers, and terrified horses bolt as they are being attacked. It is a vivid report to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra of the chaos and carnage during the Kurukṣetra war.