Shloka 26
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
गजो हत: शिरश्छिन्न॑ मर्म भिन्न हयो हत:
sañjaya uvāca | gajo hataḥ śiraś chinnaṁ marma-bhinnaḥ hayo hataḥ | jighāṁsantaṁ yudhāṁ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṁ mahat ||
三阇耶说道：“战象被诛，首级纷落，战马倒毙，命门要害尽被洞穿。当前锋勇士怀着必杀之心冲击之时，浩大而喧腾的恶战便骤然兴起。在这场交锋中，般度一方的豪杰——以尸建陀因为前驱，为护卫英勇的湿吠多而推进——猛扑向毗湿摩那饰以黄金的战车，以此向都利约陀那一方显示其威力。于是，护将之责与战场所迫的冷酷法则交织一处，点燃了令人战栗的暴烈升级。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield dharma often manifests as protection of one’s own (rakṣaṇa) and decisive action against a lethal threat; yet it also starkly depicts the moral cost—war quickly becomes a chaotic cascade of deaths once the intent to kill dominates.
Sañjaya describes a fierce surge in the fighting: elephants and horses fall, heads are severed, and vital points are struck. In the broader scene (as reflected in the accompanying narration), Pāṇḍava warriors, shielding Śveta and placing Śikhaṇḍin forward, rush toward Bhīṣma’s chariot, triggering a terrifying, tumultuous battle.