Shloka 9
Adhyāya 143: Nocturnal duels—Nākuli and Citraseṇa; Vṛṣasena’s assault; Duḥśāsana vs Prativindhya
तमन्ये शूरसेनानां शूरा: संख्ये न््यवारयन् । नियच्छन्त: शरव्रातैर्मत्तं द्विपमिवाड्कुशै:,तदनन्तर युद्धस्थलमें दूसरे शूरसेनदेशीय शूरवीर सैनिकोंने अपने शरसमूहोंद्वारा उनपर नियन्त्रण करते हुए उन्हें उसी प्रकार रोका, जैसे महावत मतवाले हाथीको अंकुशोंद्वारा रोकते हैं
tam anye śūrasenānāṁ śūrāḥ saṅkhye nyavārayan | niyacchantaḥ śaravrātair mattaṁ dvipam ivāṅkuśaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then other valiant warriors of the Śūrasena host checked him in the thick of battle, restraining him with volleys of arrows—just as a mahout restrains a maddened elephant with goads. The image underscores disciplined control amid chaos: force is met not merely with force, but with coordinated restraint to prevent greater devastation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, effective action is guided by restraint and coordination. The verse’s simile—checking a maddened elephant with a goad—highlights disciplined control of destructive force rather than uncontrolled aggression.
As a powerful fighter advances, other Śūrasena warriors oppose him on the battlefield and halt his momentum by showering him with volleys of arrows, restraining him the way a mahout restrains a rutting elephant with an aṅkuśa.