Shloka 18
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
नागा मेघनिभा राजन् क्षरन्त इव तोयदा: । नैते जातु निवर्तेरन् प्रेषिता हस्तिसादिभि:
nāgā meghanibhā rājan kṣaranta iva toyadāḥ | naite jātu nivarteran preṣitā hastisādibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, these elephants, dark as rain-clouds, seem as though they are pouring forth streams like water-bearing clouds. Once driven on by their mahouts and handlers, they will never turn back.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum of war once forces are set in motion: disciplined power, when directed by commanders and handlers, becomes difficult to restrain. Ethically, it hints at the grave responsibility of those who ‘send forth’ violence—once unleashed, it rarely turns back easily.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a vivid battlefield scene: elephants, compared to rain-clouds, surge forward as if streaming water. Driven by their mahouts and attendants, they press on without retreat, emphasizing the intensity of the ongoing combat.