Shloka 20
Bhagadatta’s Astra and the Fall of the Prāgjyotiṣa King (भगदत्त-वधः / वैष्णवास्त्र-प्रसङ्गः)
यथा नलवन क्रुद्धः प्रभिन्न: षष्टिहायन: । मृदनीयात् तद्वदायस्त: पार्थो5मृद्नाच्चमूं तव,जैसे साठ वर्षका मदस्रावी हाथी क्रोधमें भरकर नरकुलोंके जंगलको रौंदकर धूलमें मिला देता है, उसी प्रकार प्रयत्नशील पार्थने आपकी सेनाको मटियामेट कर दिया
yathā nalavana-kruddhaḥ prabhinnaḥ ṣaṣṭihāyanaḥ | mṛdanīyāt tadvad āyastaḥ pārtho 'mṛdnāc camūṃ tava ||
Sañjaya dit : «De même qu’un éléphant de soixante ans, en rut et dans la fureur, piétine un fourré de roseaux et le réduit en poussière, ainsi Pārtha—dans un effort implacable—broya ton armée.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked martial force can become irresistible—like a musth elephant—once battle is fully joined. Ethically, it points to the grave consequences of provoking a dharmic conflict: when war is set in motion, even rightful prowess results in vast destruction that cannot be easily contained.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna (Pārtha), exerting himself intensely, has devastated the Kaurava forces. The comparison to an enraged, musth elephant trampling a reed-grove conveys the speed and inevitability with which Arjuna breaks through the opposing ranks.