Shloka 326
अभ्यतिष्ठत् पदा भूमौ सहाश्वं सहसारथिम् | झरने बहानेवाले पर्वतकी भाँति किसी मदस्रावी गजराजने सारथि और अश्वोंसहित रथीको पैरोंसे भूमिपर दबाकर उन सबको कुचल डाला
abhya-tiṣṭhat padā bhūmau sahāśvaṃ sahasārathim | jharane bahāne-vāle parvatakī bhānti kisī madasrāvī gajarājane sārathi-aśva-sahitaṃ rathinaṃ pādaiḥ bhūmau dabākar un sabko kucal ḍālā |
Sañjaya berkata: Raja gajah yang mabuk oleh musth, laksana gunung yang sisi-sisinya dialiri deras air terjun, menginjak sang kesatria-kereta bersama kusir dan kuda-kudanya, menekan mereka ke tanah lalu menghancurkan semuanya. Dalam himpitan perang, kekuatan tanpa kendali berubah menjadi kehancuran semata—tanpa membedakan prajurit, kusir, maupun hewan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate devastation of war: when raw power (symbolized by a musth elephant) is unleashed, it can annihilate warrior, charioteer, and animals alike. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that violence, even within kṣatriya warfare, easily exceeds human control and collapses distinctions of role and merit.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment in which a rut-maddened elephant charges and physically steps on a chariot unit—crushing the chariot-warrior along with the charioteer and horses—likening the elephant’s overwhelming force to a mountain with cascading torrents.