Shloka 3
कर्णार्जुनयुद्ध-प्रवृत्तिः
Renewal of the Karṇa–Arjuna Engagement at Day’s End
मेकला: कोसला मद्रा दशार्णा निषधास्तथा | गजयुद्धेषु कुशला: कलिज्जैः सह भारत,भारत! पूर्व और दक्षिण दिशाके श्रेष्ठ गजयोद्धा तथा अंग, बंग, पुण्ड्र, मगध, ताम्रलिप्त, मेकल, कोसल, मद्र, दशार्ण तथा निषध देशोंके समस्त गजयुद्धनिपुण वीर कलिंगोंके साथ मिलकर वर्षा करनेवाले मेघोंके समान समरांगणमें पांचाल-सेनापर बाण, तोमर और नाराचोंकी वृष्टि करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | mekalāḥ kosalā madrā daśārṇā niṣadhās tathā | gajayuddheṣu kuśalāḥ kaliṅgaiḥ saha bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: The warriors of Mekalā, Kosala, Madra, Daśārṇa, and Niṣadha—skilled in fighting from elephants—joined forces with the Kaliṅgas, O Bhārata. In the unfolding battle, these renowned elephant-corps from the eastern and southern regions pressed forward like rain-bearing clouds, showering the Pañcāla host with volleys of arrows, javelins, and iron darts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as battlefield reportage rather than moral instruction: it highlights how collective strength, training, and coordination (here, elephant-war specialists from multiple regions) can create an overwhelming force. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—kṣatriya prowess and duty executed with skill, yet producing destructive, impersonal devastation.
Sañjaya lists several regional contingents—Mekalā, Kosala, Madra, Daśārṇa, and Niṣadha—describing them as experts in elephant warfare who unite with the Kaliṅgas. In the broader battle scene, these elephant-fighters surge into combat and unleash heavy missile volleys against the opposing host (noted in the accompanying Hindi gloss as the Pañcāla forces).