Shloka 23
अभिमन्योरावरणम्
Encirclement and counter-strikes of Abhimanyu
ततस्तत् कुण्जरानीकं व्यधमद् धृष्टमार्जुनि: । यथा वायुर्नित्यगतिर्जलदान् शतशोडम्बरे,प्रजानाथ! तब वहाँ अत्यन्त निकटसे घोर युद्ध आरम्भ हो गया। अर्जुनकुमारने पैने बाणोंद्वारा उस धृष्ट गजसेनाको उसी प्रकार नष्ट कर दिया, जैसे सदागति वायु आकाशमें सैकड़ों मेघखण्डोंको छिन्न-भिन्न कर देती है
tatas tat kuñjarānīkaṃ vyadhamad dhṛṣṭam arjuniḥ | yathā vāyur nityagatir jaladān śataśo ’mbare prajānātha ||
Sañjaya said: Then, at very close quarters, a fierce battle broke out. Arjuna’s son, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, with sharp arrows, shattered that elephant-corps—just as the ever-moving wind in the sky tears apart hundreds of cloud-masses.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of focused action in the battlefield, expressed through a natural simile: as wind inevitably disperses clouds, so disciplined martial skill can dismantle even formidable formations. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between necessary kṣatriya action and the tragic cost of war.
Sañjaya reports that a close-quarters, intense fight begins, and the warrior described as Arjuna’s descendant strikes down an elephant-division with sharp arrows, likened to wind tearing apart many cloud-banks in the sky.