Shloka 16
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
यदेतत् कुञ्जरानीकं॑ साहस्रमनुपश्यसि,“महाराज! यह जो आप हजारों हाथियोंकी सेना देखते हैं, इसका नाम है आंजनककुल। इसमें पराक्रमशाली गजराज खड़े हैं, जिनके ऊपर प्रहारकुशल और युद्धनिपुण बहुत-से म्लेच्छ योद्धा सवार हैं
sañjaya uvāca | yad etat kuñjarānīkaṃ sāhasram anupaśyasi, mahārāja, tasya nāma āñjanakakulaḥ | asmin parākramāṇi gajarājāḥ sthitāḥ, yeṣām upari prahārakuśalā yuddhanipuṇā bahavo mlecchayoddhāḥ saṃniviṣṭāḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: „O großer König, das tausendstarke Elefantenkorps, das du siehst, heißt die Abteilung des Āñjanaka-Klans. Hier stehen mächtige Herrenelefanten, und auf ihnen sitzen viele fremdländische Krieger, kundig im Schlag und geübt in den Künsten des Kampfes.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vast, organized machinery of war and the pragmatic assembling of forces, including non-traditional allies (mlecchas). Ethically, it underscores how conflict draws in diverse peoples and skills, emphasizing the gravity of warfare rather than glorifying it.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra what is visible on the battlefield: a thousand-strong elephant division named Āñjanakakula, with powerful elephants carrying many battle-trained foreign warriors.