Shloka 3
Adhyāya 64 — Omens, Conch Signals, and Arjuna’s Assault on the Elephant Division
बललाघवशिक्षाभिस्तेषां सो<स्त्रबलेन च । छत्रायुधध्वजरथांश्छित्त्वा प्रासान् गतव्यथ:,परंतु राजा अम्बरीषको इससे तनिक भी व्यथा नहीं हुई। उन्होंने शारीरिक बल, अस्त्र- बल, हाथोंकी फुर्ती और युद्धसम्बन्धी शिक्षाके द्वारा शत्रुओंके छत्र, आयुध, ध्वजा, रथ और प्रासोंके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले
bala-lāghava-śikṣābhis teṣāṃ so 'strabalena ca | chatrāyudha-dhvajarathāṃś chittvā prāsān gatavyathaḥ ||
Nārada said: Untroubled by their attacks, King Ambarīṣa—by bodily strength, quickness of hand, disciplined training, and the power of his weapons—shattered the enemies’ parasols, weapons, banners, chariots, and spears, cutting them to pieces. The scene underscores a ruler’s composed mastery in battle: skill and restraint, not agitation, govern his force.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness (gatavyathaḥ) as a martial and ethical virtue: a righteous ruler applies trained strength and weapon-skill with composure, not with fear or agitation, showing disciplined mastery rather than uncontrolled violence.
Nārada narrates that King Ambarīṣa, unaffected by the opponents’ assault, uses strength, agility, training, and weapon-power to cut down the enemy’s visible symbols and instruments of war—parasols, weapons, banners, chariots, and spears—reducing them to fragments.