Shloka 15
जैसे वर्षाकालमें इन्द्रके वज़्से आहत हुआ गेरूका पर्वत लाल रंगका पानी बहाता है, इसी प्रकार वह गजराज अपने शरीरसे सब ओर बहुत-सा रक्त बहाता हुआ कुलिन्दराजकुमारके साथ ही धराशायी हो गया ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
kulindaputraprahito 'paro dvipaḥ krāthasya sūtāśva-rathaṃ vyapothayat |
tato 'patat krātha-śarābhighātitaḥ saheśvaro vajra-hato yathā giriḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Lalu pangeran Kulinda mengerahkan seekor gajah lagi ke depan. Ia menggilas sais Krātha, kuda-kuda, dan keretanya; namun dihantam dan disiksa oleh panah-panah Krātha, gajah itu—bersama penunggangnya—jatuh ke bumi laksana gunung yang dihancurkan vajra Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reciprocity of war: even overwhelming force (an elephant crushing chariot, horses, and charioteer) is vulnerable to skilled counterforce (arrows). It highlights impermanence and the inevitability of downfall when violence escalates, a recurring ethical tension in the epic’s portrayal of kṣatriya warfare.
A Kulinda prince sends another war-elephant into the fight. The elephant tramples Krātha’s chariot-team and charioteer, but Krātha’s arrows wound it severely, and the elephant collapses with its rider, compared to a mountain struck down by Indra’s thunderbolt.