Shloka 23
Bhagadatta’s Astra and the Fall of the Prāgjyotiṣa King (भगदत्त-वधः / वैष्णवास्त्र-प्रसङ्गः)
नरश्रेष्ठ अर्जुनने रथके द्वारा ही उस हाथीका सामना किया। रथ और हाथीका वह संघर्ष बड़ा भयंकर था ।। कल्पिताभ्यां यथाशास्त्रं रथेन च गजेन च । संग्रामे चेरतुर्वीरी भगदत्तधनंजयौ,शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार निर्मित और सुसज्जित रथ तथा सुशिक्षित हाथीके द्वारा वीरवर अर्जुन और भगदत्त संग्रामभूमिमें विचरने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | kalpitābhyāṃ yathāśāstraṃ rathena ca gajena ca | saṃgrāme ceratur vīrī bhagadattadhanañjayau ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna, the best of men, faced that elephant with his chariot alone; and dreadful was the struggle between chariot and elephant. And in accordance with the prescribed martial science, with a chariot duly fashioned and arrayed and with a well-trained elephant, the two heroes—Bhagadatta and Dhanañjaya—moved about the battlefield and engaged one another, showing that kṣatriya warfare, even amid terrifying violence, is bound by discipline and rule.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the chaos of war, the verse highlights yathāśāstram—action governed by established discipline and codes. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: violence is present, yet kṣatriya conduct is ideally regulated by training, propriety, and rule-bound engagement rather than mere rage.
Sanjaya describes Bhagadatta and Arjuna engaging in battle: Bhagadatta fights from a well-prepared elephant, while Arjuna counters from a properly equipped chariot. The verse frames their movement and combat as a formal duel of two elite warriors using their respective war-platforms.