Shloka 11
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
प्रचोद्यमान: स गजस्तेन राज्ञा महाबल: । तदाड्कुशेन विबभावुत्पतिष्यन्निवाम्बरम्,राजा वज्रदत्तने जब अंकुशसे मारकर उस महाबली हाथीको आगे बढ़नेके लिये प्रेरित किया, तब वह इस तरह आगेकी ओर झपटा, मानो वह आकाशमें उड़ जायगा
pracodyamānaḥ sa gajastena rājñā mahābalaḥ | tad-aṅkuśena vibabhāv utpatiṣyann ivāmbaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Urged on by that king, the mighty elephant, struck and driven with the goad, surged forward in a leap as if it were about to spring up into the sky. The scene underscores how royal command and instruments of control can compel immense power into sudden, potentially perilous motion—an image that invites reflection on restraint and responsibility in the use of force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great power, when driven by command and coercive tools, can become sudden and dangerous; the verse implicitly highlights the ethical need for restraint and accountability in directing force—especially by rulers.
The king prods the mighty elephant with an aṅkuśa, and the elephant lunges forward so forcefully that it seems as though it might leap into the sky.