Shloka 24
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
गात्रा भ्यन्तरगो भूत्वा करेणाताडयन्मुहु: । लालयामास तं नागं वधाकाड्क्षिणमव्ययम्,वे उसके शरीरके नीचे होकर हाथसे बारंबार थपथपाते हुए वधकी आकांक्षा रखनेवाले उस अविनाशी गजराजको लाड़-प्यार करने लगे
gātrābhyantarago bhūtvā kareṇātāḍayan muhuḥ | lālayāmāsa taṃ nāgaṃ vadhākāṅkṣiṇam avyayam ||
Sañjaya said: Slipping beneath the elephant’s body, he repeatedly patted it with his hand, soothing and fondling that lordly elephant—unyielding and seemingly indestructible—though it was intent on killing. The scene underscores how, even amid violence, skill and presence of mind can turn raw aggression aside through calm control rather than immediate slaughter.
संजय उवाच