Shloka 7
उनके कंधे और चाल-ढाल वृषभके समान थे। नेत्र भी वृषभके ही तुल्य बड़े-बड़े थे। वे नरश्रेष्ठ सात्यकि आपके सैनिकोंके बीचमें उसी प्रकार सुशोभित होते थे, जैसे गौओंके झुंडमें साँड़की शोभा होती है ।। मत्तद्विरदसंकाशं मत्तद्विरदगामिनम् | प्रभिन्नमिव मातडूं यूथमध्ये व्यवस्थितम्
mattadvirada-saṅkāśaṃ mattadvirada-gāminam | prabhinnam iva mātaṅgaṃ yūtha-madhye vyavasthitam ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, the foremost of men, appeared amid your troops like a rutting elephant—massive in presence and moving with the gait of a maddened tusker—like a great elephant that has broken into the midst of a herd. The image underscores his fearless vigor and the moral intensity of the battle, where personal valor is displayed within the larger, fateful struggle of kinsmen bound by duty and oath.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary courage and martial energy can dominate a battlefield; ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between individual valor (a kṣatriya ideal) and the tragic setting of a war fought among relatives under the pressure of duty and prior commitments.
Sañjaya describes Sātyaki’s appearance and movement within the Kaurava ranks, comparing him to a powerful rutting elephant that has broken into the middle of a herd—an image meant to convey his intimidating presence and aggressive advance among enemy soldiers.