Shloka 54
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
निकृत्तं विबभौ रौद्रं घोररूपं भयावहम् | ध्वज और पताकाओंसे आच्छादित पैदलोंकी वह विशाल सेना छिन्न-भिन्न होकर रौद्र, घोर एवं भयानक प्रतीत होती थी ।। ५३ ई ।। युधिष्ठिरपुरोगाश्व॒ सहसैन्या महारथा:
nikṛttaṃ vibabhau raudraṃ ghorarūpaṃ bhayāvaham | yudhiṣṭhirapurogāś ca sahasainyā mahārathāḥ |
三阇耶说道：那支军队被砍断、被撕裂，支离破碎，显得可怖至极——神色凶厉，形貌狰狞，令人望而生畏。随后，诸位大车战士在坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）率领之下，背倚浩大军势，向前推进——这是战争道德崩塌的图景：骄矜与旌旗终究遮不住暴力所造成的败坏与毁灭。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war strips away outward splendor and exposes a terrifying reality: once an army is broken, banners and status cannot hide the ethical and human cost. It implicitly warns that violence, even when undertaken as duty, carries a grim aftermath that demands sober moral reflection.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the infantry host has been cut to pieces and looks dreadful and fearsome. In the same breath, he notes the advance of the great warriors with Yudhiṣṭhira at their head, supported by a large force, indicating a renewed movement of the Pāṇḍava side amid the devastation.