Shloka 396
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
तस्मिन्नेव पदे यत्ता निगृह्नन्ति सम भारत । भरतनन्दन! मदस्रावी विशाल हाथी मदकी धारा बहानेवाले दूसरे गजराजोंसे सहसा भिड़कर एक-दूसरेको यत्नपूर्वक काबूमें कर लेते थे
tasminneva pade yattā nigṛhṇanti sma bhārata | bharatanandana! madasrāvī viśāla-hastī mada-kī dhārā bahānevale dvitīya gajarājaiḥ sahasā bhiḍitvā anyonyaṃ yatnapūrvakaṃ kābūṃ meṃ kar lete sma |
Sañjaya dit : Là même, sur ce même sol, ô Bhārata — joie des Bhāratas —, ces grands éléphants en rut, suintant et déversant des torrents de sécrétion, heurtèrent soudain d’autres éléphants seigneurs et s’efforcèrent de toutes leurs forces de se mettre l’un l’autre sous contrôle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the raw force and frenzy of war through the image of musth-elephants struggling to subdue one another; ethically, it underscores how battle amplifies overpowering impulses and the contest for control—both literal (restraining an opponent) and symbolic (the difficulty of restraint amid violence).
Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where massive, rutting elephants collide with other great elephants and grapple intensely, each trying to overpower and restrain the other on the spot.