Shloka 16
विकृष्यमाणैर्जवनैस्तुरड़मै- हतेश्वरै राजरथै: सुकल्पितै: । मनुष्यमातड्ररथाश्वराशिभि- ्रूतं ब्रजन्तो बहुधा विचूर्णिता:
vikṛṣyamāṇair javanaiḥ turaṅgamaiḥ hateśvarai rāja-rathaiḥ sukalpitaiḥ | manuṣya-mātaṅga-rathāśva-rāśibhiḥ drutaṃ vrajanto bahudhā vicūrṇitāḥ ||
沙利耶说道：那些陈设精良的王家战车——如今已失去其主人、驾车的战士——被迅疾的战马拖拽而去。人群、战象、寻常车辆与马匹在混乱中奔逃，许多仓皇奔跑者被践踏碾碎，支离破碎。此景揭示战争的道德代价：当统御者倒下、秩序崩塌，无辜者与凡庶之人便在恐惧的奔踏中遭到毁灭。
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collateral devastation of war: when commanders fall and discipline breaks, fear-driven flight causes indiscriminate harm. Ethically, it underscores that violence spreads suffering beyond intended targets, crushing even those merely trying to survive.
Śalya describes a battlefield rout: masterless, well-equipped royal chariots are pulled away by swift horses, while crowds of men, elephants, chariots, and horses surge in hurried retreat. In the crush of movement, many are trampled and pulverized.