Shloka 7
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
बहुधादारयन् क्रुद्धा विषाणैरितरेतरम् । गण्डस्थलसे मदकी धारा बहानेवाले विशालकाय गजराज कुपित हो दूसरे हाथियोंसे टक्कर लेते हुए अपने दाँतोंके आघातसे एक-दूसरेको नाना प्रकारसे विदीर्ण करने लगे ।।
bahudhā dārayann kruddhā viṣāṇair itaretaram | gaṇḍasthaleṣu madakī dhārā bahanti iva vāraṇāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan murka, gajah-gajah perkasa merobek satu sama lain dengan tusk mereka dalam berbagai cara; dari pelipis mereka mengalir deras cairan musth. Wahai Raja, banyak gajah yang berhias gerbang hias dan panji-panji, ketika bertubrukan dengan gajah-gajah unggul, tersiksa oleh hantaman tusk dan meraung dengan gelisah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how uncontrolled anger and pride magnify destruction in war: even the strongest beings, when driven by rage, become agents of mutual harm. It implicitly contrasts disciplined force (guided by dharma) with blind violence (driven by krodha).
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene where elephants, in rut and enraged, collide and gore one another with their tusks; must flows from their temples as they rend each other amid the chaos of combat.