Shloka 543
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
शेरते भूमिमासाद्य शैला वज़हता इव । विधिपूर्वक सुसज्जित किये गये हाथी सहस्रों बाणोंसे बिंधकर वज्रके मारे हुए पर्वतोंके समान धराशायी हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | śerate bhūmim āsādya śailā vajrahatā iva | vidhipūrvaka-susajjitāḥ kṛtāḥ hastī sahasrāṇi bāṇaiḥ bibhidya vajra-māritāḥ parvatā iva dharāśāyī bhavanti |
Sañjaya dit : Parvenus au sol, ils gisaient épars comme des montagnes frappées par la foudre. Même les milliers d’éléphants—rangés avec méthode et équipés selon la règle—lorsqu’ils étaient transpercés par des volées de flèches, s’effondraient sur la terre comme des pics brisés par le vajra d’Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of power and preparation in the face of destructive violence: even disciplined, properly equipped forces (the elephants) are brought down. Ethically, it intensifies the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on the grievous cost of war and the suffering that accompanies the pursuit of victory.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where thousands of war-elephants, though carefully arranged and armed, are pierced by arrows and collapse. Their fall is compared to mountains struck down by a thunderbolt, emphasizing the scale and shock of the carnage.