Shloka 49
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
पत्तीनां निहता: संघा हयानां प्रयुतानि च । रथव्रजाश्न निहता हताश्न वरवारणा:
pattīnāṁ nihatāḥ saṅghā hayānāṁ prayutāni ca | rathavrajaś ca nihatā hatāś ca varavāraṇāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：成队成队的步兵被杀戮殆尽；数以万计的战马亦被屠倒。战车之军团覆灭，贵胄之象亦横陈死地——这正是战潮无情、毁灭不息的印记，也是武功野心所索取的沉重人命代价。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the immense cost of war: not only warriors but also animals and entire military formations are annihilated. Ethically, it invites reflection on how ambition and enmity culminate in widespread suffering, even when framed within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scale of slaughter on the battlefield: masses of infantry are killed, vast numbers of horses fall, chariot troops are destroyed, and great elephants are slain—conveying the ferocity and devastation of the ongoing combat in Karṇa Parva.