Shloka 6
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
सुकल्पितं दानवनागसंनिभं महा भ्रनिर्ह्ठादममित्रमर्दनम् । रथाश्वमातड्रगणान् सहस्रश: समास्थितो हन्ति शरैर्नरानपि
sa ukalpitaṃ dānavanāgasaṃnibhaṃ mahābhraninādama amitrāmardanam | rathāśvamātaṅgagaṇān sahasraśaḥ samāsthito hanti śarair narān api ||
Sañjaya dit : «Cet éléphant était somptueusement caparaçonné—tel un Dānava parmi les éléphants—; il rugissait comme un grand nuage d’orage et broyait les ennemis sous ses pieds. Juché sur lui, le guerrier au bâton abattait de ses flèches, par milliers, chars, chevaux, troupes d’éléphants en rut, et même les fantassins.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as vivid battlefield narration rather than explicit moral instruction. Ethically, it underscores the terrifying scale of martial power and the human cost of war, reminding the listener that prowess and splendid armament can become instruments of mass destruction when dharma collapses into fratricidal conflict.
Sañjaya describes a magnificently decorated war-elephant, likened to a demon in strength and to a thundercloud in roar. A staff-bearing warrior mounted on it shoots arrows and slaughters large numbers of enemy forces—chariots, horses, elephant units, and foot-soldiers.