Shloka 25
सुप्रतीककुले जाता महापद्मकुले तथा,नरेश्वर! सुप्रतीक, महापद्मय, ऐरावत तथा अन्य [पुण्डरीक, पुष्पदन््त और सार्वभौम-- (इन) दिग्गजोंके] कुलोंमें उत्पन्न हुए बहुतेरे दंतार हाथी भी वहाँ धरतीपर लोट रहे थे
supratīkakule jātā mahāpadmakule tathā, nareśvara! supratīka-mahāpadmaya-airāvata tathā anya (puṇḍarīka-puṣpadanta-sārvabhauma) diggajānāṃ kuleṣu utpannā bahavaḥ dantāra hastinaḥ api tatra dharaṇyāṃ loṭamānāḥ sma
Sañjaya said: O king, many tusked elephants of royal stock—born in the lineages of Supratīka and Mahāpadma, and likewise of Airāvata, as well as other famed ‘world-elephant’ clans such as Puṇḍarīka, Puṣpadanta, and Sārvabhauma—were there, rolling upon the earth. The verse underscores the terrible cost of war: even the mightiest symbols of sovereignty and martial power are brought low, reminding the listener that pride in force and lineage cannot withstand the ruin unleashed by adharma-driven conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential cost of war: even the most exalted emblems of royal power—great war-elephants of renowned lineages—are reduced to helpless suffering on the ground, implying that reliance on might and pedigree is fragile when conflict is driven by adharma.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene where numerous tusked elephants, belonging to celebrated ‘diggaja’ clans (Supratīka, Mahāpadma, Airāvata, and others), have been struck down and are rolling/writhing on the earth amid the carnage.