Shloka 40
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
सोअन्तरायुधिन हत्वा राजपुत्रमरिंदम: । गुरु भारसहं स्कन्धे नागस्यासिमपातयत्
so ’ntarāyudhinaṃ hatvā rājaputram arindamaḥ | guru-bhāra-sahaṃ skandhe nāgasya āsīm apātayat ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem Bhīmasena, der Bezwinger der Feinde, den Prinzen des Königs von Kaliṅga getötet hatte, der vom Rücken eines Elefanten aus kämpfte, ließ er sein schweres Schwert, das gewaltige Last zu tragen vermag, auf die Schulter des Elefanten niederfahren.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethical reality of dharma in war: a warrior acts decisively against immediate threats, and in the momentum of battle even the mount (the war-elephant) becomes part of the hostile force to be neutralized. It reflects valor and duty rather than personal cruelty, while still exposing the cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, after killing the elephant-mounted prince of Kaliṅga, strikes the elephant itself on the shoulder with his heavy sword, continuing the assault amid the chaos of the Kurukṣetra battle.