Shloka 29
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
अभ्चारोहैश्व समरे हस्तिसादिभिरेव च । प्रतिमानेषु गात्रेषु पाश्वेष्वभि च वारणान् | आशुगा विमलास्ती क्ष्णा: सम्पेतुर्भुजगोपमा:
abhyārohāiś ca samare hastisādibhir eva ca | pratimāneṣu gātreṣu pārśveṣv abhi ca vāraṇān | āśugā vimalās tīkṣṇāḥ sampetur bhujagopamāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：在那场战斗中，骑马者与乘象者射出的箭矢——迅疾、洁亮、锋利如刃，凶怖如蛇——击中大象的额头、诸肢体以及两胁。此景揭示战争冷酷而不息的机括：技艺与速度被化作伤害之器，连强大的生灵也在人的求胜之心中沦为靶标。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it presents the ethical weight of war through vivid detail. Martial excellence (speed, sharpness, precision) becomes morally ambivalent when it results in widespread injury—reminding the listener that victory in battle is inseparable from suffering inflicted on living beings, including animals.
Sañjaya describes intense fighting where swift, sharp arrows launched by mounted troops—horsemen and elephant-riders—strike war-elephants on the forehead, limbs, and flanks, emphasizing the ferocity and momentum of the engagement.