Shloka 19
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
समुद्रकल्पं च बल धार्तराष्ट्रस्य माधव । अस्मानासाद्य संजातं गोष्पदोपममच्युत,“माधव! अच्युत! दुर्योधनकी समुद्र-जैसी अनन्त सेना हमलोगोंसे टक्कर लेकर आज गायकी खुरीके समान हो गयी है
samudrakalpaṃ ca balaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrasya mādhava | asmān āsādya saṃjātaṃ goṣpadopamam acyuta ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Mādhava, wahai Acyuta! Bala Dhārtarāṣṭra yang dahulu laksana samudra, setelah beradu dengan kami, kini menyusut sekecil jejak kuku sapi.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly power: even an army that appears limitless can swiftly shrink when confronted by determined opponents and the larger moral-cosmic momentum of the war. The ocean-to-hoofprint contrast highlights how pride in sheer numbers can collapse into insignificance.
Sañjaya reports to Kṛṣṇa (addressed as Mādhava and Acyuta) that the Kaurava force, once immense, has been drastically diminished after engaging the Pāṇḍavas’ side—suggesting heavy losses and a turning of the tide in the battle.