Shloka 12
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
महोर्मिणमिवोद्धूतं श्वसनेन महार्णवम् । किरीटी तद् गजानीकं प्राविशन््मकरो यथा,वायुद्वारा ऊपर उठाये हुए ऊँची-ऊँची तरंगोंसे युक्त महासागरके समान उस गजसैन्यमें किरीटधारी अर्जुनने मकरके समान प्रवेश किया
sañjaya uvāca |
mahormiṇam ivoddhūtaṃ śvasanena mahārṇavam |
kirīṭī tad gajānīkaṃ prāviśan makaro yathā ||
Sañjaya dit : Tel le grand océan soulevé par de hautes vagues que le vent pousse, ainsi la troupe d’éléphants enflait et se gonflait. Dans cette masse d’éléphants, Arjuna au diadème s’engouffra—comme un makara plongeant dans la mer—sans trembler, tendu vers son devoir au milieu de la fureur de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in one’s appointed duty (dharma) even amid overwhelming danger: the warrior should not be shaken by the ‘ocean-like’ surge of the enemy, but enter the fray with disciplined courage and purpose.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s bold advance into a dense formation of enemy elephants. The elephant-host is compared to a wind-driven ocean with high waves, and Arjuna’s entry is likened to a makara plunging into the sea.