Shloka 36
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
तिर्यग्यातेन नागेन समदेनाशुगामिना । तत्पश्चात् दशार्णराजने मदस्रावी, शीघ्रगामी तथा तिरछी दिशा (पार्श्चभाग)-की ओरसे आक्रमण करनेवाले गजराजके द्वारा भगदत्तपर धावा किया ।। तयोरयुद्धं समभवन्नागयोर्भीमरूपयो:
tiryagyātena nāgena samadena āśugāminā | tatpaścāt daśārṇarājena madasrāvī śīghragāmī tathā tirachī-diśā (pārśvabhāga)-kī orase ākramaṇa karanevāle gajarājake dvārā bhagadattapara dhāvā kiyā || tayor yuddhaṃ samabhavan nāgayor bhīmarūpayoḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Puis le roi de Daśārṇa se jeta sur Bhagadatta avec son éléphant royal — rapide, enivré de musth, et frappant selon une ligne oblique, de flanc. Ainsi s’engagea un combat farouche entre les deux éléphants, tous deux terribles d’apparence. Dans l’atmosphère morale de la guerre, le vers souligne que la maîtrise, l’élan et l’approche tactique peuvent décider d’un affrontement autant que la force brute ; pourtant, toute prouesse demeure liée à la nécessité tragique du champ de bataille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that in war, outcomes hinge not only on raw power but also on discipline, speed, and tactical approach (such as an oblique, sideward charge). Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: extraordinary skill and valor unfold within a grim field of necessary violence, where prowess does not erase the tragedy of conflict.
Sañjaya describes the Daśārṇa king rushing at Bhagadatta using a powerful musth elephant that attacks from a slanting/side direction. The scene culminates in a direct, fearsome clash between the two great elephants.