Shloka 13
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
गजा गजान् समासाद्य विषाणैरार्दयन् नृप । विषाणाभिह्तास्तत्र भ्राजन्ते द्विरदास्तथा
gajā gajān samāsādya viṣāṇair ārdayan nṛpa | viṣāṇābhihatās tatra bhrājante dviradās tathā ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, les éléphants, se ruant les uns sur les autres, se meurtrissaient de leurs défenses. Frappées par les défenses, ces puissantes bêtes aux deux crocs brillaient encore là : image de la force inexorable de la guerre, où même les créatures les plus nobles sont poussées à se faire du mal au milieu du fracas des armées.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim momentum of war: even powerful and majestic beings are compelled into mutual injury. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of conflict—how violence spreads beyond human combatants and consumes all who are drawn into it.
Sañjaya reports battlefield action to the king: war-elephants charge and meet other elephants, goring and battering them with tusks; though wounded, the elephants are described as still appearing brilliant amid the clash.