Shloka 8
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
युद्धार्थी वासिताहेतोर्गज: प्रतिगजं यथा । भीमसेनं ययौ शल्यो मद्राणामी श्वरो बली,ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे हथिनीके लिये लड़नेकी इच्छा रखकर एक हाथी अपने प्रतिद्वन्द्दी दूसरे हाथीसे भिड़नेके लिये जा रहा हो, महाबली मद्रराज शल्य भीमसेनसे जा भिड़े
vaiśampāyana uvāca | yuddhārthī vāsitāhetor gajaḥ pratigajaṃ yathā | bhīmasenaṃ yayau śalyo madrāṇām īśvaro balī ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Just as an elephant, eager to fight for the sake of a she-elephant, advances to engage a rival elephant, so the mighty Śalya, lord of the Madras, went forth to meet Bhīmasena in combat. The simile underscores how desire and rivalry can drive even the powerful into direct confrontation, turning personal impulse into public violence on the battlefield.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful beings can be propelled into conflict by personal motives—here symbolized by an elephant fighting for a mate—suggesting that desire and rivalry can intensify violence and override restraint, even within a warrior culture.
The narrator describes Śalya, the strong ruler of the Madras, advancing to confront Bhīmasena in battle, using the vivid comparison of one elephant moving to clash with another.