Shloka 39
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
गजाश्वरथिभिहीनास्त्यक्तात्मान: पदातय: । एकविंशतिसाहस्रा: संयुगायावतस्थिरे,उस समय वहाँ हाथीसवार, घुड़सवार तथा रथियोंसे रहित इक्कीस हजार केवल पैदल योद्धा अपने जीवनका मोह छोड़कर युद्धके लिये डट गये
gajāśvarathibhihīnāstyaktātmānaḥ padātayaḥ | ekaviṃśatisāhasrāḥ saṃyugāyāvatastire ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Privados de jinetes de elefante, de caballería y de guerreros en carros, veintiún mil infantes—habiendo arrojado lejos el apego a sus propias vidas—se mantuvieron firmes, resueltos para la batalla.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under deprivation: even without elite arms (elephants, horses, chariots), warriors may uphold their chosen duty by relinquishing fear and attachment to life, standing firm for the battle they have accepted.
Sañjaya reports that a force of twenty-one thousand infantry, lacking mounted and chariot support, nevertheless takes its position and remains ready to fight, indicating a desperate yet determined battlefield formation.