Shloka 983
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
अताडयंस्तथाभज्जंस्तथामृदनंश्च॒ भारत । भारत! हाथी हाथियोंपर और बिना सवारके घोड़े घोड़ोंपर आक्रमण करके एक- दूसरेपर चोट करने लगे। उन्होंने अंग-भंग करके एक-दूसरेको रौंद डाला
sañjaya uvāca | atāḍayaṃs tathābhajjaṃs tathā mṛdnantaś ca bhārata |
三阇耶说道：噢，婆罗多啊，他们彼此击打、撞碎、践踏。象冲向象，无人骑乘的马也奔突向马，互相创伤；肢体折断之后，又在蹄足之下互相碾碎——这是战争混乱的写照：连禽兽一旦失去驾驭，也成了毁灭的工具与牺牲品。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war unleashes uncontrolled destruction: when order and discernment collapse, even animals—normally guided by humans—turn upon each other, illustrating the ethical cost and indiscriminate suffering produced by violence.
Sañjaya describes battlefield turmoil in the Sauptika episode: elephants clash with elephants and riderless horses collide with horses, striking, breaking, and trampling each other amid the carnage.