Shloka 40
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
असिमादाय शल्यो<पि अवल्लुत्य रथोत्तमात् | तस्य वारणराजस्य चिच्छेदाथ महाकरम्,इसी समय शल्य हाथमें तलवार लेकर अपने श्रेष्ठ रथसे कूद पड़े और उसीके द्वारा उस गजराजकी विशाल सूँड़को उन्होंने काट गिराया
asim ādāya śalyo 'pi avallutya rathottamāt | tasya vāraṇarājasya cicchedātha mahākaram ||
Sañjaya dit : Saisissant son épée, Śalya bondit de son char d’élite ; puis, de cette même lame, il trancha la grande trompe de ce roi des éléphants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of neutralizing a threat decisively: courage and skill are directed toward disabling the enemy’s effective power (here, the elephant’s trunk), reflecting the harsh but strategic dimension of kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports that Śalya, sword in hand, jumps down from his chariot and severs the massive trunk of a powerful elephant, thereby crippling the animal’s primary weapon and turning the tide in that immediate combat moment.