Shloka 41
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
त॑ विजित्य रणे शूरं विक्रान्तं ख्यातपौरुषम् । अजेयं समरे वीरं यमेन वरुणेन च
taṁ vijitya raṇe śūraṁ vikrāntaṁ khyātapauruṣam | ajeyaṁ samare vīraṁ yamena varuṇena ca, rājan |
Sañjaya sprach: O König, nachdem jener heldenhafte, kühne Krieger—berühmt für seine Manneskraft, im Kampf für unbezwingbar gehalten selbst von Yama und Varuṇa—auf dem Schlachtfeld überwunden war, begann Bhagadattas Elefant das Heer der Pāṇḍavas zu zermalmen, wie ein wilder Waldelefant einen Lotosteich zertritt, während er hindurchstreift.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the volatility of war: even a warrior praised as ‘unconquerable’ can be overcome, and once martial force gains momentum it can indiscriminately devastate many. It implicitly cautions that power in battle is not a stable measure of righteousness, and that outcomes can turn swiftly despite fame and strength.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a famed, mighty warrior—described as invincible even to Yama and Varuṇa—has been defeated in the fight; thereafter Bhagadatta’s elephant rampages through the Pāṇḍava forces, crushing them like a wild elephant trampling a lotus-pond.