Shloka 18
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
क्षुरप्रकृत्ती सुभृशं॑ सतोमरौ शुभाड़दौ चन्दनरूषितौ भुजौ । गजात् पतन््तौ युगपद् विरेजतु- ्यथाद्रिशुड्भाद रुचिरो महोरगौ
sañjaya uvāca |
kṣuraprakṛttī subhṛśaṃ satomarau śubhāṅgadāu candanarūṣitau bhujau |
gajāt patantau yugapad virejatuḥ yathādriśṛṅgād rucirau mahoragau ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ces deux bras puissants—affûtés comme des rasoirs, hérissés de javelots, parés de superbes bracelets et oints de santal—brillèrent en tombant ensemble de l’éléphant, tels deux grands serpents magnifiques glissant du sommet d’une montagne.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a striking simile to show how quickly worldly splendor and physical prowess collapse in war; it implicitly cautions that glory rooted in violence is unstable and that embodied power is impermanent.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s two ornamented, weapon-bearing arms falling together from an elephant, comparing the sight to two great serpents sliding down from a mountain summit—an image emphasizing both beauty and horror on the battlefield.