Shloka 22
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय २७: सुशर्माह्वानम्, अर्जुनस्य प्रतिनिवर्तनम्, भगदत्तेन गजप्रहारः
ट्रुमाचलाग्राम्बुधरै: समकाया: सुकल्पिता: । हतारोहा:ः क्षितौ पेतुर्द्धिपा: पार्थशराहता:,वृक्ष, पर्वत-शिखर और मेघोंके समान विशाल एवं ऊँचे शरीरवाले, सजे-सजाये हाथी, जिनके सवार पहले ही मार दिये गये थे, अर्जुनके बाणोंसे आहत होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca |
trumācalāgrāmbudharaiḥ samakāyāḥ sukalpitāḥ |
hatārohāḥ kṣitau petur dvipāḥ pārthaśarāhatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The well-adorned elephants—huge and lofty in body, like trees, mountain-peaks, and rain-bearing clouds—whose riders had already been slain, were struck by Arjuna’s arrows and fell upon the earth.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and grandeur in war are fragile: once the guiding rider is removed, even massive elephants become vulnerable. The verse highlights the ethical weight of martial skill—actions in battle produce immediate, irreversible outcomes.
Sañjaya describes elephants, splendid and enormous like trees, mountain-peaks, and clouds, whose riders have already been killed; struck by Arjuna’s arrows, the elephants collapse onto the ground.