Mahabharata 7.116.12 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 116, Shloka 12
Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
प्रभिन्नकरटैश्वैव द्विरदैरावृतं महत् । यदहन्यत मे सैन्यं किमन्यद् भागधेयत:
prabhinnakaraṭaiś caiva dviradair āvṛtaṃ mahat | yad ahanyata me sainyaṃ kim anyad bhāgadhayataḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Quand bien même ma vaste armée était ceinte de puissants éléphants aux tempes ruisselantes, si elle a été taillée en pièces par l’ennemi, quelle autre cause peut-il y avoir, sinon le destin ?»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common Mahabharata tension between human effort and daiva (destiny): even strong worldly protections (like elephant corps) can fail, prompting reflection on the limits of power and the role of fate shaped by prior karma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava forces—despite being heavily protected by rutting war-elephants—have been slaughtered by the enemy, and he attributes this catastrophic reversal to bhāgadhaya (destiny).
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