Shloka 40
सगजाश्न गजारोहा: किरीटिशरताडिता: । ततोडर्जुनभुजोत्सृष्टरावृता5डसीद् वसुन्धरा
sa-gajāś ca gajārohāḥ kirīṭi-śara-tāḍitāḥ | tato 'rjuna-bhujotsṛṣṭair āvṛtā 'sīd vasundharā ||
संजय बोला—किरीटधारी अर्जुन के बाणों से घायल हाथी और उनके महावत घबरा उठे; फिर अर्जुन की भुजाओं से छूटे शरों की वर्षा से मानो सारी वसुंधरा ढँक गई।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming power of a warrior acting within the battlefield role of a kṣatriya, while implicitly reminding the listener that such power manifests as widespread destruction—inviting reflection on the ethical weight and consequences of war.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s intense archery: elephants and their riders are struck by his arrows, and the ground appears covered with the multitude of missiles he releases, conveying the scale and ferocity of the combat.