Shloka 25
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
हतमात्मसुतं दृष्टवा कलिड्रानां जनाधिप:
hatam ātmasutaṃ dṛṣṭvā kaliḍrāṇāṃ janādhipaḥ
Sañjaya dit : «Voyant son propre fils tué, le souverain des Kaliḍras fut saisi de chagrin et de stupeur — image de la guerre qui fait des rois eux-mêmes des endeuillés, et de l’attachement au “mien” qui devient source d’angoisse lorsque le devoir et l’ordre s’effondrent sur le champ de bataille.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: even those who uphold martial duty are not spared the suffering born of attachment and loss. It implicitly contrasts the ideals of kṣatriya-dharma with the emotional devastation that battle inevitably brings.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment in which the king of the Kaliḍras sees his own son killed, marking a turn from command and valor to grief and disorientation amid the ongoing conflict.