Shloka 6
बाहू धरण्यां निष्पिष्य सुदुर्मत्त इव द्विप: । प्रकीर्णान् मूर्थजान् धुन्वन् दन्तैर्दन्तानुपस्पृशन्
bāhū dharaṇyāṁ niṣpiṣya sudurmatta iva dvipaḥ | prakīrṇān mūrthajān dhunvan dantair dantān upaspṛśan
Sañjaya dit : «Écrasant ses bras contre la terre tel un éléphant pris de folie, il secoua sa chevelure en désordre et grinça des dents—tempête au-dehors de deuil et de fureur, montrant comment la guerre précipite même les plus puissants dans une détresse impuissante qui se dévore elle-même.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the psychological devastation of war: even powerful warriors can be reduced to uncontrolled, self-harming expressions of grief and rage. Ethically, it points to the inner cost of adharma-driven conflict—violence rebounds as suffering within the victor and the vanquished alike.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (implied from context) overwhelmed by emotion on the battlefield: he throws himself down, presses his arms into the ground, shakes his disordered hair, and grinds his teeth—likened to a frenzied elephant.