Shloka 54
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
द्विरदं जलसंधस्य रुधिरेणा भ्यषिज्चत । मस्तक और भुजाओंके गिर जानेसे अत्यन्त भयंकर दिखायी देनेवाले जलसंधके उस धड़ने अपने खूनसे उस हाथीको नहला दिया ।। ५३ $ ।। जलसंध॑ निहत्याजौ त्वरमाणस्तु सात्वत:
sañjaya uvāca | dviradaṃ jalasaṃdhasya rudhireṇābhyasiñcat | mastakaṃ ca bhujāṃś ca nipatiteṣu bhayaṅkara-darśanaṃ jalasaṃdhasya tac charīraṃ svena śoṇitena taṃ gajaṃ snāpayām āsa | jalasaṃdhaṃ nihatya yuddhe tvaramāṇas tu sātvatāḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Gajah itu tersiram darah Jalasandha. Ketika kepala dan lengan Jalasandha terpenggal dan jatuh, batang tubuhnya—yang tampak mengerikan—seakan memandikan gajah itu dengan darahnya sendiri. Setelah menewaskan Jalasandha di medan laga, sang kesatria Sātvata pun bergegas maju, didorong oleh tuntutan perang yang mendesak.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of war: bodily power and pride end in sudden ruin, and the battlefield reduces even great warriors to impermanent flesh. It implicitly warns that violence, once unleashed, spreads beyond the target—symbolized by the elephant being bathed in blood—highlighting the ethical cost and contagion of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Jalasandha being slain so violently that his severed head and arms fall, and his blood splashes over an elephant. After killing Jalasandha, the Sātvata warrior quickly moves on, as the battle continues without pause.