Shloka 51
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
भग्नदन्तान् भग्नकरान् भग्नसक्थांश्व वारणान् । भग्नपृष्ठत्रिकानन्यान् निहतान् पर्वतोपमान्
sañjaya uvāca |
bhagnadantān bhagnakarān bhagnasakthāṃś ca vāraṇān |
bhagnapṛṣṭhatrikān anyān nihatān parvatopamān |
三阇耶说道：“我看见有的象牙折断，有的象鼻碎裂，有的腿股被碾碎；还有的背脊与脊骨断裂。许多如山般巨大的象王也被杀倒地。战场充满了暴力最赤裸的后果：有的仍在嘶鸣，有的痛苦呻吟，有的背离战阵而逃，有的被恐惧攫住，竟失禁失控。这一切，我都亲眼所见。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tangible cost of war: even the mightiest beings fall, and fear and pain overwhelm all. Ethically, it functions as a sobering witness-account that challenges any romantic view of battle and highlights the gravity of choosing violence, even within the frame of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he has seen on the battlefield: elephants are maimed—tusks, trunks, thighs, and backs broken—and many are killed, their huge bodies likened to mountains. The wider scene includes cries, groans, flight from combat, and panic-induced loss of bodily control.