Shloka 566
Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
महाद्विपेनेव वने मत्तेन हरियूथपम् | तब अर्जुनने प्रसन्नचित्त होकर भगवान् श्रीकृष्णसे कहा--“भगवन्! देखिये, जैसे कोई सिंहोंका यूथपषति वनमें मतवाले महान् गजके साथ क्रीडा करे, उसी प्रकार कुरुकुलशिरोमणि भूरिश्रवा वृष्णिवंशके प्रमुख वीर सात्यकिके साथ रणक्रीडा कर रहे हैं!
sañjaya uvāca | mahādvipeṇeva vane mattena hariyūthapam | tad arjunena prasannacitto bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇase kahā— “bhagavan! dekhie, jaise koī siṃhoṃkā yūthapati vanameṃ matavāle mahān gajake sātha krīḍā kare, usī prakāra kurukulaśiromaṇi bhūriśravā vṛṣṇivaṃśake pramukha vīra sātyakike sātha raṇakrīḍā kara rahe haiṃ!”
Sanjaya berkata: Saat itu Arjuna, dengan hati yang terang, berkata kepada Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “Wahai Yang Mulia, lihatlah! Seperti pemimpin kawanan singa di rimba mempermainkan gajah besar yang sedang mabuk, demikian pula Bhūriśravā—permata mahkota wangsa Kuru—seakan bermain perang dengan Sātyaki, pahlawan utama kaum Vṛṣṇi.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial superiority can make combat seem like ‘sport’ to a powerful warrior, raising an ethical contrast between the warrior’s exhilaration and the grave human cost of battle—an implicit reminder that dharma in war demands restraint and awareness, not mere intoxication with strength.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna, encouraged and attentive, points out to Kṛṣṇa the duel where Bhūriśravā is engaging Sātyaki. Arjuna frames it through a vivid simile: a lion-chief playing with a musth elephant, suggesting Bhūriśravā’s aggressive dominance and the ferocity of the encounter.