Shloka 9
तथैव तव सैन्यस्य पार्थेन च महात्मना । नवमेघप्रतीकाशा: पातिता बहुधा गजा:,इसी प्रकार महात्मा अर्जुनने आपकी सेनाके नूतन मेघके समान काले रंगवाले बहुत-से हाथी मार गिराये
tathaiva tava sainyasya pārthena ca mahātmanā | navamegha-pratīkāśāḥ pātitā bahudhā gajāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “So too, in your army, many elephants—dark as freshly formed rain-clouds—were struck down in great numbers by the high-souled Pārtha (Arjuna).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a sober epic perspective on warfare: even when a warrior acts within kṣatriya-dharma, the outcome is still mass destruction. Sañjaya’s report highlights prowess while implicitly reminding the listener of war’s heavy cost.
Sañjaya is describing to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the progress of the Kurukṣetra battle, stating that Arjuna (Pārtha), described as mahātmā, has felled many elephants in the Kaurava forces—elephants compared in color and mass to newly formed rain-clouds.