Shloka 43
Droṇa’s Renewed Advance toward Yudhiṣṭhira; Fall of Satyajit and Allied Recoil (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरप्रेप्सा—सत्यजितः पतनम्)
विषाणाभिहताश्चापि केचित् तत्र गजा गजै: । चक्कुरार्तस्वनं घोरमुत्पातजलदा इव,कुछ हाथी वहाँ हाथियोंद्वारा दाँतोंस घायल किये जानेपर उत्पातकालके मेघोंके समान भयंकर आर्तनाद कर रहे थे
viṣāṇābhihatāś cāpi kecit tatra gajā gajaiḥ | cakrur ārta-svanaṃ ghoraṃ utpāta-jaladā iva ||
Sañjaya said: There, some elephants, struck by the tusks of other elephants, raised a dreadful cry of pain—like ominous storm-clouds at a time of portents—intensifying the terror and chaos of the battle scene.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the palpable suffering produced by war: even mighty beings like elephants become victims of pain and panic. By comparing their cries to ominous clouds, the narration suggests that such violence is itself a portent—an ethical warning about the destructive momentum of adharma-driven conflict.
In the thick of battle, elephants clash directly; some are wounded by the tusks of other elephants. Those injured elephants emit terrifying cries of distress, and Sañjaya describes the sound as resembling the rumble of portentous storm-clouds, heightening the sense of dread on the battlefield.