Shloka 51
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
तत्र भारत कर्णेन मातज्ञास्ताडिता: शरै:
tatra bhārata karṇena mātaṅgās tāḍitāḥ śaraiḥ
Là, ô Bhārata, les éléphants furent abattus par les flèches de Karṇa—image de l’implacable violence du combat, où même les plus puissantes bêtes de guerre tombent devant une maîtrise guerrière sans faille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of dharma as enacted in war: martial excellence and duty-driven combat can produce devastating outcomes, reminding the listener that battlefield dharma often entails grievous harm even to powerful beings.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in the thick of the fighting, Karṇa is striking the war-elephants with volleys of arrows, bringing them under control or down, thereby intensifying the rout and fear on the field.