Shloka 30
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
गजो गजं समासाद्य द्रवमाणं महाहवे । ययौ प्रमृद्य तरसा पादातान् वाजिनस्तथा
gajo gajaṃ samāsādya dravamāṇaṃ mahāhave | yayau pramṛdya tarasā pādātān vājinastathā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Dans cette grande bataille, un éléphant, rejoignant un autre éléphant en fuite, le poursuivit avec impétuosité ; et, sous l’élan de sa course, il écrasait sous ses pieds quantité de fantassins et de chevaux.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the uncontrolled momentum and collateral destruction inherent in large-scale war, where even pursuit between combatants results in the trampling of non-elite troops and animals—an implicit reminder of war’s indiscriminate cost.
Sañjaya depicts a battlefield scene: an elephant closes in on another elephant that is retreating, and in the rush of pursuit it crushes many infantrymen and horses underfoot, emphasizing the tumult and lethal force of elephant warfare.