Shloka 10
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
उद्यतां तां महाशक्ति तम्मिंक्षिक्षेप वारणे,उसने उस उठायी हुई महाशक्तिको उस हाथीपर ही चला दिया। राजन्! घटोत्कचकी भुजाओंसे छूटी हुई उस शक्तिके आघातसे हाथीका कुम्भस्थल फट गया और उससे रक्तका स्रोत बहने लगा। फिर वह तत्काल ही भूमिपर गिरा और मर गया
udyatāṃ tāṃ mahāśaktiṃ tam miṃkṣikṣepa vāraṇe | rājann ghaṭotkacabhujābhyāṃ chūtāyāḥ śaktyāḥ prahāreṇa hastinaḥ kumbhasthalaṃ phuṭaṃ tataś ca rudhirasrotaḥ prasasāra | sa ca tatkṣaṇād bhūmau papāta mṛtaś ca ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Alzando aquella poderosa lanza-arma, la arrojó contra el elefante. ¡Oh rey! Herido por la fuerza de esa śakti soltada desde los brazos de Ghaṭotkaca, se abrieron los bultos frontales del elefante y brotó un torrente de sangre. Al instante cayó a tierra y murió.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal immediacy of war: worldly might—symbolized by a war-elephant—can be undone in an instant by a superior weapon and resolve. It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension: even when fighting is framed as kṣatriya-duty, the narrative does not romanticize violence; it shows its stark, irreversible consequences.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a mighty śakti-weapon, released from Ghaṭotkaca’s arms, strikes an elephant. The elephant’s temples (kumbhasthala) burst, blood flows, and it collapses and dies immediately.