Shloka 28
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
पुंस्त्वादतिमदत्वाच्च केचित् तत्र महागजा: । साश्वारोहान् हयाञ्जघ्नु: करै: सचरणैस्तथा
puṁstvād atimadattvāc ca kecit tatra mahāgajāḥ | sāśvārōhān hayān jaghnuḥ karaiḥ sacaraṇais tathā ||
Sañjaya dit : Là, certains éléphants puissants—rendus sauvages par le musth et par leur force virile, agressive—massacrèrent chevaux et cavaliers tout ensemble, les abattant d’un coup de trompe et les piétinant. La scène montre comment, dans la fureur de la bataille, même les nobles bêtes de guerre deviennent des instruments de destruction aveugle, emportant monture et homme.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing momentum of war: once unleashed, martial power—here embodied by musth-maddened elephants—can become indiscriminate, crushing both rider and mount. It implicitly cautions that strength without restraint (saṁyama) turns into destructive excess.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where powerful elephants, crazed with musth and aggression, kill horses and mounted warriors by striking with their trunks and trampling with their feet.