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Shloka 19

कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna

Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying

अपरे प्राद्रवन्‌ नागा: शल्यार्ता व्रणपीडिता: । प्रतिमानैश्व कुम्भैश्न पेतुरुव्या महाहवे

apare prādravan nāgāḥ śalyārtā vraṇapīḍitāḥ | pratimānaiś ca kumbhaiś ca petur urvyā mahāhave ||

সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—আন কিছুমান হাতী বর্শাৰ যন্ত্ৰণা আৰু ঘাঁৱৰ বেদনাত কাতৰ হৈ আতংকত দৌৰি পলাই গ’ল; আৰু সেই মহাযুদ্ধত সিহঁত মাটিত ঢলি পৰিল—বিশাল দেহ আৰু ঘটৰ দৰে কুম্ভস্থলসহ ধৰণীত আছড় খাই পৰিল।

अपरेothers
अपरे:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअपर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
प्राद्रवन्ran forth / fled
प्राद्रवन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootद्रु
FormImperfect (Lan), 3rd, Plural
नागाःelephants
नागाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनाग
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
शल्यार्ताःpained by darts/spears
शल्यार्ताः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootशल्यार्त
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
व्रणपीडिताःtormented by wounds
व्रणपीडिताः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootव्रणपीडित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
प्रतिमानैःwith (their) likenesses / with images
प्रतिमानैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootप्रतिमान
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Plural
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
कुम्भैःwith (their) temples (elephants’ frontal globes)
कुम्भैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootकुम्भ
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
पेतुःfell
पेतुः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootपत्
FormPerfect (Lit), 3rd, Plural
उर्व्याम्on the earth/ground
उर्व्याम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootउर्वी
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
महाहवेin the great battle
महाहवे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootमहाहव
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
E
elephants (nāgāḥ)
S
spears/darts (śalya)
E
earth/ground (urvī)
G
great battle (mahāhava)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the moral and human (and animal) cost of war: even powerful war-elephants, symbols of strength, become victims of pain and fear. It implicitly invites reflection on the suffering produced by violence and the limits of martial pride.

Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where some elephants, pierced by spears and overwhelmed by wound-pain, break formation and flee, then collapse to the ground amid the great fight.