Shloka 9
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
तेन विद्राव्यमाणानि तव सैन्यानि भारत । त्रातारं नाध्यगच्छन्त पड़्के मग्ना इव द्विपा:,भरतनन्दन! अभिमन्युके द्वारा खदेड़ी जाती हुई आपकी सेनाएँ कीचड़में फँसे हुए हाथियोंके समान किसीको अपना रक्षक न पा सकी
tena vidrāvyamāṇāni tava sainyāni bhārata | trātāraṃ nādhyagacchanta paṅke magnā iva dvipāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Driven into flight by him, your troops, O Bhārata, could find no protector—like elephants sunk in mire, unable to gain firm ground. The image underscores the moral and strategic collapse of an army that has lost guidance and refuge amid the pressure of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When leadership and refuge (trātṛ) fail in a crisis, even a powerful force becomes helpless; the simile of elephants in mire highlights how strength without direction, support, and steadiness turns into vulnerability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops, driven back by the opposing warrior (contextually Abhimanyu), scattered in confusion and could not find anyone to protect or rally them, like elephants trapped in mud.