Shloka 7
सहदेव-राधेय-संग्रामः; शल्य-प्रभावः; अलम्बुस-निवर्तनम्
Sahadeva and Karṇa; Śalya’s pressure; Alambusa’s interception
यश्च विक्षोभ्य महतीं सेनामालोड्य चासकृत् । एक: प्रविष्ट: संक्रुद्धो नलिनीमिव कुज्जर:,संजय! जैसे हाथी किसी पोखरेमें प्रवेश करता है, उसी प्रकार जिन्होंने अकेले ही कुपित होकर मेरी विशाल सेनाको क्षुब्ध करके बारंबार उसे मथकर उसके भीतर प्रवेश किया था, उन वृष्णिवंशी वीर सात्यकिने अर्जुनके लिये प्रयत्नपूर्वक जैसा युद्ध किया था, उसका वर्णन करो; क्योंकि तुम कथा कहनेमें कुशल हो
yaś ca vikṣobhya mahatīṁ senām āloḍya cāsakṛt | ekaḥ praviṣṭaḥ saṁkruddho nalinīm iva kuñjaraḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “Describe how that Vṛṣṇi hero Sātyaki fought with strenuous resolve for Arjuna—how, enraged, he alone plunged into my vast army, shook it into turmoil, and again and again churned through its ranks, like an elephant entering a lotus-filled pond.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast loyalty and determined effort in protecting a righteous ally: Sātyaki’s single-minded resolve for Arjuna is praised through a vivid simile, suggesting that courage and commitment can cut through overwhelming opposition.
Sanjaya introduces (or is prompted to recount) Sātyaki’s fierce breakthrough into the Kaurava host: alone and enraged, he disrupts and ‘churns’ the enemy formation repeatedly, compared to an elephant plunging into a lotus-pond.