Shloka 26
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
ततः प्राग्ज्योतिषो राजा नागराजं समास्थित: । यथा वज्रधर: पूर्व संग्रामे तारकामये,जैसे पूर्वकालमें तारकामय-संग्रामके अवसरपर वज्रधारी इन्द्र ऐरावत नामक हाथीपर आरूढ़ होकर युद्धके लिये गये थे, उसी प्रकार इस महायुद्धमें प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरके स्वामी राजा भगदत्त एक गजराजपर चढ़कर आये थे
tataḥ prāgjyotiṣo rājā nāgarājaṃ samāsthitaḥ | yathā vajradharaḥ pūrvaṃ saṅgrāme tārakāmaye ||
Sañjaya said: Then the king of Prāgjyotiṣa, mounted upon a lordly elephant, advanced—just as, in former times during the Tārakāmaya war, Indra the wielder of the thunderbolt went forth to battle seated upon Airāvata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how worldly power and martial pride can mirror divine-scale conflict: kings on the battlefield adopt grand, celestial models of warfare, reminding the listener that war magnifies both prowess and the moral weight of one’s choices.
Sañjaya describes Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa, arriving for the great battle mounted on a mighty elephant, likening his advance to Indra riding Airāvata in the ancient Tārakāmaya war.