Shloka 30
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
अहो धिड़ निहतो भीम: कुञज्जरेणेति मारिष | तेन नागेन संत्रस्ता पाण्डवानामनीकिनी
aho dhiḍ nihato bhīmaḥ kuñjareṇeti māriṣa | tena nāgena saṁtrastā pāṇḍavānām anīkinī
Sañjaya said: “Alas, shame! ‘Bhīma has been slain—by an elephant!’ O revered one. Hearing that cry about the ‘elephant,’ the Pāṇḍavas’ army was thrown into panic.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how words and perception can become weapons in war: a strategically framed announcement can destabilize even a strong force. It raises an ethical tension central to the Drona Parva—victory pursued through psychological manipulation and the moral cost such tactics impose.
A cry is raised that “Bhīma has been slain—by an elephant.” The mention of an ‘elephant’ (nāga/kuñjara) triggers fear and confusion, and the Pāṇḍava army becomes alarmed. The line reflects the battlefield’s rumor-driven turmoil and the use of misleading signals to shake morale.