कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
रथान् डदविपान् हयांश्वैव सारोहानर्जुनो युधि । शरैरनेकसाहसैरनिन्ये राजन् यमक्षयम्,राजन! अर्जुनने युद्धस्थलमें कई हजार बाण मारकर रथों, हाथियों, घोड़ों और उन सबके सवारोंको भी यमलोक पहुँचा दिया
rathān dantavipān hayāṁś caiva sārohān arjuno yudhi | śarair anekasāhasair aninye rājan yamakṣayam ||
三阇耶说:大王啊,在战阵之中,阿周那以成千上万支箭,将战车、战象、战马及其骑乘者送往阎摩之所。
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the grim ethical reality of righteous warfare in the epic: even when aligned with kṣatriya-duty, combat entails massive destruction, and the hero’s skill functions as an instrument within a larger dharmic and fated conflict—inviting reflection on responsibility, necessity, and the cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, fighting on the battlefield, showers countless arrows and slays large numbers of enemy forces—chariots, elephants, horses, and their riders—sending them to Yama’s realm.