Shloka 34
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
तथा सावरणान कांक्षित्तत्र तत्र विशाम्पते । रथान् नागा: समासाद्य परिगृह्य॒ च मारिष
tathā sāvaraṇān kāṅkṣit tatra tatra viśāmpate | rathān nāgāḥ samāsādya parigṛhya ca māriṣa | parvatasyeva śikharaṃ vajrughnaṃ mahītale ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô seigneur des peuples, dans cette bataille effroyable, les éléphants, s’approchant sans cesse, saisissaient de leur trompe les chars couverts et, d’un élan soudain, les traînaient puis les projetaient au loin. Pourtant, même ces éléphants d’une force immense, frappés par des flèches acérées, s’effondraient sur la terre comme un sommet de montagne brisé par le vajra, l’éclair.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of martial power: even the strongest agents of war—elephants capable of overturning chariots—can be swiftly brought down. It highlights the impermanence of strength and the relentless, leveling nature of battle.
Sañjaya describes battlefield scenes where war-elephants rush in, seize covered chariots with their trunks, and hurl them away; soon after, those same elephants are felled by volleys of arrows and fall like thunderbolt-split mountain peaks.