Shloka 2
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
वणिजो नावि भिन्नायां यथागाधेडप्लवे<र्णवे । अपारे पतिमच्छन्तो हते शूरे महात्मना
vaṇijo nāvi bhinnāyāṃ yathāgādhe ’ḍaplave ’rṇave | apāre patim acchanto hate śūre mahātmanā ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Wie Kaufleute, deren Schiff im tiefen, uferlosen Ozean zerschellt, hilflos nach einem Beschützer suchen, so blickten auch die Krieger, als jener heldenhafte, großgesinnte Streiter erschlagen war—stützenlos geworden—umher nach einem Führer, der sie rette und festige.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile to show how an army’s morale and coherence depend on a capable protector-leader: when the heroic support is removed, people feel like shipwrecked merchants in a shoreless sea—exposed, fearful, and urgently seeking guidance.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield reaction after a great hero has been slain: the fighters, suddenly deprived of their main support, become disoriented and look for someone to lead and protect them, like shipwrecked traders searching for rescue in the open ocean.