Shloka 42
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
पाण्डवीं समरे सेनां सम्ममर्द स कुज्जर: । यथा वनगजो राजन मृदनंश्चवरति पद्मिनीम्
pāṇḍavīṃ samare senāṃ sammamarda sa kuñjaraḥ | yathā vanagajo rājan mṛdnann iva carati padminīm ||
قال سانجيا: في المعركة، أيها الملك، سحق ذلك الفيلُ جيشَ الباندڤا، كما يدوس فيلُ الغابة الوحشيُّ بحيرةً مملوءةً باللوتس ويجوس خلالها.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile to highlight how, in war, concentrated force can devastate the vulnerable many. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of martial power and the fragility of life amid kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a war-elephant is crushing the Pāṇḍava forces on the battlefield, likened to a wild elephant trampling a lotus-pond.