Shloka 36
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
प्रमृद्य च रणे सेनां पद्मिनीं वारणो यथा । ततोऊभिदुद्राव रणे द्रौपदेयान्ू महाबलान्
sañjaya uvāca | pramṛdya ca raṇe senāṃ padminīṃ vāraṇo yathā | tato 'bhidudrāva raṇe draupadeyān mahābalān ||
Sañjaya said: Having trampled the army in battle—like an elephant churning and crushing a lotus-filled pond—Alambuṣa then charged on the mighty sons of Draupadī in the thick of the fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the destructive force unleashed in war: once martial fury gains momentum, it can crush collective order (the army) and then turn upon specific targets (the Draupadeyas). Ethically, it invites reflection on how violence, even within kṣatriya codes, rapidly escalates and multiplies suffering.
Sañjaya describes Alambuṣa trampling through the Pāṇḍava forces and then rushing to attack the powerful sons of Draupadī (the Draupadeyas), using the image of an elephant disturbing and crushing a lotus-filled pond to convey the onslaught.