Shloka 18
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
केचिदभ्याहता नागैर्नागा नगनिभोपमा: । विनेशु: समरे तस्मिन् पक्षवन्त इवाद्रय:,उस संग्राममें पर्वतोंके समान प्रतीत होनेवाले कितने ही हाथी हाथियोंसे घायल हो पंखधारी शैलसमूहोंके समान नष्ट हो गये
sañjaya uvāca | kecid abhyāhatā nāgair nāgā naganibhopamāḥ | vineśuḥ samare tasmin pakṣavanta ivādrayaḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: Dalam pertempuran itu, banyak gajah—besar laksana gunung—dihantam oleh gajah lain dan binasa, bagaikan gunung-gunung bersayap yang diruntuhkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly power: even beings that seem mountain-like in strength can be swiftly destroyed in the cycle of violence, pointing to the ethical cost and futility inherent in unchecked warfare.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield where massive elephants clash; many are wounded by other elephants and die, their fall compared to the mythical image of winged mountains being shattered.