Shloka 40
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
हतेश्वरो दन्तिवर: सुकल्पित- स्त्वराभिसृष्ट: प्रतिशब्दगो बली । तमाद्रवद् द्रौणिशराहतस्त्वरन् जवेन कृत्वा प्रतिहस्तिगर्जितम्,इतनेहीमें एक सजा-सजाया श्रेष्ठ एवं बलवान् गजराज बड़ी उतावलीके साथ छूटकर प्रतिध्वनिका अनुसरण करता हुआ उधर आ निकला, उसके मालिक और महावत मारे जा चुके थे। अश्वत्थामाके बाणोंसे आहत होकर वह शीघ्रतापूर्वक पाण्ड्ययाजकी ओर दौड़ा। उसने प्रतिपक्षी हाथीकी गर्जनाका शब्द सुनकर बड़े वेगसे उसी ओर धावा किया था
hateśvaro dantivaraḥ sukalpitas tvarābhisṛṣṭaḥ pratiśabda-go balī | tam ādravad drauṇiśarāhatas tvaran javena kṛtvā pratihastigarjitam ||
Sañjaya said: Just then a powerful lord of elephants, superbly caparisoned—its rider and mahout slain—broke loose in frantic haste, following the echoing sound. Wounded by Aśvatthāmā’s arrows, it rushed swiftly toward Pāṇḍyayāja, charging at great speed toward the trumpet-call of the opposing elephant, as though answering that challenge amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, the death of leadership and loss of guidance unleash blind force: a powerful instrument (the elephant) becomes dangerous and indiscriminate when control is removed, illustrating the ethical cost and chaos that violence generates.
A richly equipped war-elephant, whose rider/handler has been killed, breaks loose. Wounded by Aśvatthāmā’s arrows, it rushes rapidly toward the sound of an opposing elephant’s trumpet, charging as if to answer that challenge.