Adhyaya 27

Verse 1

/ अपना बा | अप्--र- - हाथीके निचले भागमें कोई ऐसा स्थान होता है, जिसमें दोनों हाथोंके द्वारा थपथपानेसे हाथीको सुख मिलता है। इस अवस्थामें वह महावतके मारनेपर भी टस-से-मस नहीं होता। भीमसेन इस कलाको जानते थे। इसीका नाम 'अंजलिकावेध' है। सप्तविशो<्ध्याय: अर्जुनका संशप्तक-सेनाके साथ भयंकर युद्ध और उसके अधिकांश भागका वध संजय उवाच यन्मां पार्थस्य संग्रामे कर्माणि परिपृच्छसि । तच्छुणुष्व महाबाहो पार्थो यदकरोद्‌ रणे,संजय कहते हैं--महाबाहो! आप जो मुझसे युद्धमें अर्जुनके पराक्रम पूछ रहे हैं, उन्हें बताता हूँ। अर्जुनने रणक्षेत्रमें जो कुछ किया था, वह सुनिये

Sanjaya said: Mighty-armed one, since you ask me about the deeds Arjuna performed in battle, listen. I shall relate what Partha did on the field of war.

Verse 2

रजो दृष्टवा समद्धभूतं श्रुव्वा च गजनि:स्वनम्‌ । भगदत्ते विकुर्वाणे कौन्तेय: कृष्णमब्रवीत्‌,भगदत्तके विचित्र रूपसे युद्ध करते समय वहाँ धूल उड़ती देखकर और हाथीके चिग्घाड़नेका शब्द सुनकर कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुनने श्रीकृष्णसे कहा--

Sañjaya said: Seeing the dust rise thickly and hearing the trumpeting of elephants as Bhagadatta fought with fierce display, Arjuna, son of Kuntī, spoke to Kṛṣṇa. The scene underscores how the roar and spectacle of war can unsettle even the steadfast, and how a warrior seeks clear counsel and right action amid overwhelming force.

Verse 3

यथा प्राग्ज्योतिषो राजा गजेन मधुसूदन । त्वरमाणो विनिष्क्रान्तो ध्रुवं तस्यैष नि:ःस्वन:,“मधुसूदन! राजा भगदत्त अपने हाथीपर सवार जिस प्रकार उतावलीके साथ युद्धके लिये निकले थे, उससे जान पड़ता है निश्चय ही यह महान्‌ कोलाहल उन्हींका है

Sañjaya said: “O Madhusūdana, just as the king of Prāgjyotiṣa once rushed forth mounted on his elephant, so too this tumultuous roar is surely his.”

Verse 4

इन्द्रादनवर: संख्ये गजयानविशारद: । प्रथमो गजयोधानां पृथिव्यामिति मे मति:,“मेरा तो यह विश्वास है कि वे युद्धमें इन्द्रसे कम नहीं है। भगदत्त हाथीकी सवारीमें कुशल और गजारोही योद्धाओंमें इस पृथ्वीपर सबसे प्रधान हैं

Sañjaya said: “In battle he is in no way inferior to Indra. Skilled in the art of fighting from an elephant, Bhagādattā is, in my judgment, the foremost of elephant-warriors upon this earth.”

Verse 5

स चापि द्विरदश्रेष्ठ;: सदा5प्रतिगजो युधि । सर्वशस्त्रातिग: संख्ये कृतकर्मा जितक्लम:,“और उनका वह गजश्रेष्ठ सुप्रतीक भी युद्धमें अपना शानी नहीं रखता है। वह सब शास्त्रोंका उल्लंघन करके युद्धमें अनेक बार पराक्रम प्रकट कर चुका है। उसने परिश्रमको जीत लिया है

Sañjaya said: “And that foremost of elephants, Supratīka too, is ever unopposed by rival elephants in battle. In the press of combat he surpasses all weapons and disciplines, having repeatedly displayed his prowess; he is a proven performer who has conquered fatigue.”

Verse 6

सह: शस्त्रनिपातानामग्निस्पर्शस्य चानघ । स पाण्डवबलं सर्वमद्यैको नाशयिष्यति,“अनघ! वह सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रोंके आघात तथा अग्निके स्पर्शको भी सह सकनेवाला है। आज वह अकेला ही समस्त पाण्डव-सेनाका विनाश कर डालेगा

Sañjaya said: “O sinless one, he is capable of enduring the blows of weapons and even the touch of fire. Today, he alone will destroy the entire strength of the Pāṇḍavas.”

Verse 7

न चावाभ्यामृतेडन्यो$स्ति शक्तस्तं प्रतिबाधितुम्‌ । त्वरमाणस्ततो याहि यतः प्राग्ज्योतिषाधिप:,“हम दोनोंके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं है, जो उसे बाधा देनेमें समर्थ हो। अत: आप शीघ्रतापूर्वक वहीं चलिये, जहाँ प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त विद्यमान हैं

Sañjaya said: “Other than the two of us, there is no one capable of checking him. Therefore, go at once—hasten to the place where Bhagadatta, the lord of Prāgjyotiṣa, is stationed.”

Verse 8

दृप्तं संख्ये द्विघषबलादू्‌ वयसा चापि विस्मितम्‌ । अद्यैनं प्रेषयिष्यामि बलहन्तु: प्रियातिथिम्‌,“अपने हाथीके बलसे युद्धमें घमंड दिखानेवाले और अवस्थामें भी बड़े होनेका अहंकार रखनेवाले इन राजा भगदत्तको मैं देवराज इन्द्रका प्रिय अतिथि बनाकर स्वर्गलोक भेज दूँगा'

Verse 9

वचनादथ कृष्णस्तु प्रययौ सव्यसाचिन: । दीर्यते भगदत्तेन यत्र पाण्डववाहिनी,सव्यसाची अर्जुनके इस वचनसे प्रेरित हो श्रीकृष्ण उस स्थानपर रथ लेकर गये, जहाँ भगदत्त पाण्डव-सेनाका संहार कर रहे थे

Sañjaya said: Prompted by that instruction, Kṛṣṇa drove the chariot of Savyasācin (Arjuna) toward the place where Bhagadatta was tearing through the Pāṇḍava host. The moment underscores the ethic of timely intervention in war: when a protector sees allies being devastated, he must act decisively and without delay.

Verse 10

त॑ प्रयान्तं ततः पश्चादाह्वययन्तो महारथा: । संशप्तका: समारोहन्‌ सहस््राणि चतुर्दश,अर्जुनको जाते देख पीछेसे चौदह हजार संशप्तक महारथी उन्हें ललकारते हुए चढ़ आये

Sañjaya said: As Arjuna moved on ahead, the great chariot-warriors known as the Saṁśaptakas surged up from behind, shouting challenges—fourteen thousand in number—intent on drawing him into a fierce engagement and testing his resolve amid the duties of war.

Verse 11

दशैव तु सहस्राणि त्रिगर्तनां महारथा: । चत्वारि च सहस््राणि वासुदेवस्य चानुगा:,उनमें दस हजार महारथी तो त्रिगर्तदेशके थे और चार हजार भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णके सेवक (नारायणी-सेनाके सैनिक) थे

Sanjaya said: Ten thousand of those foremost chariot-warriors were from the Trigarta country; and four thousand were followers of Vāsudeva—soldiers devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Nārāyaṇī host). The report underscores how vast, organized forces—bound by regional loyalty and personal allegiance—were being drawn into the moral crucible of the Kurukṣetra war.

Verse 12

दीर्यमाणां चमूं दृष्टवा भगदत्तेन मारिष । आहूयमानस्य च तैरभवद्धृदयं द्विधा,आर्य! राजा भगदत्तके द्वारा अपनी सेनाको विदीर्ण होती देखकर तथा पीछेसे संशप्तकोंकी ललकार सुनकर उनका हृदय दुविधामें पड़ गया

Sañjaya said: “O venerable one, seeing his army being torn apart by Bhagadatta, and hearing the Saṃsaptakas calling him from behind, the king’s heart became divided.”

Verse 13

कि नु श्रेयस्करं कर्म भवेदद्येति चिन्तयन्‌ । इह वा विनिवर्तेयं गच्छेयं वा युधिष्ठिरम्‌,वे सोचने लगे--आज मेरे लिये कौन-सा कार्य श्रेयस्कर होगा। यहाँसे संशप्तकोंकी ओर लौट चलूँ अथवा युधिष्छिरके पास जाऊँ

Sañjaya said: ‘Reflecting, “What action would be most beneficial and right for me today?”, I wavered—should I turn back from here toward the Saṃsaptakas, or should I go to Yudhiṣṭhira?’

Verse 14

तस्य बुद्धया विचार्यवमर्जुनस्य कुरूद्वह । अभवद्‌ भूयसी बुद्धि: संशप्तकवधे स्थिरा,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! बुद्धिसे इस प्रकार विचार करनेपर अर्जुनके मनमें यह भाव अत्यन्त दृढ़ हुआ कि संशप्तकोंके वधका ही प्रयत्न करना चाहिये

Sañjaya said: Having thus reflected with his understanding, O bull among the Kurus, Arjuna’s resolve grew even stronger and became firmly fixed on one aim—he must strive above all to slay the Saṁśaptakas. In the moral pressure of battle, his mind settles on a decisive duty: to neutralize those who have bound themselves by a fierce vow to obstruct him, so that the larger course of the war may proceed.

Verse 15

स संनिवृत्त: सहसा कपिप्रवरकेतन: । एको रथसहस्राणि निहन्तुं वासवी रणे,श्रेष्ठ वानरचिह्से सुशोभित ध्वजावाले इन्द्रकुमार अर्जुन उपर्युक्त बात सोचकर सहसा लौट पड़े। वे रणक्षेत्रमें अकेले ही हजारों रथियोंका संहार करनेको उद्यत थे

Sañjaya said: Arjuna, whose banner bore the emblem of the foremost of monkeys (Hanumān), turned back at once. Alone on the battlefield, he was resolved to strike down thousands of chariot-warriors—acting with the fierce, Indra-like might that rises when duty in war is accepted without hesitation.

Verse 16

सा हि दुर्योधनस्यासीन्मति: कर्णस्य चो भयो: । अर्जुनस्य वधोपाये तेन द्वैधमकल्पयत्‌,अर्जुनके वधका उपाय सोचते हुए दुर्योधन और कर्ण दोनोंके मनमें यही विचार उत्पन्न हुआ था। इसीलिये उसने युद्धको दो भागोंमें बाँट दिया

Sañjaya said: This indeed was the settled intention in the minds of Duryodhana and Karṇa—how Arjuna might be slain. Therefore, with that aim, he devised a twofold division of the battle plan, seeking to secure Arjuna’s death by stratagem rather than by open contest alone.

Verse 17

स तु दोलायमानो< भूद द्वैधीभावेन पाण्डव: । वधेन तु नराग्रयाणामकरोत्‌ तां मृषा तदा

Sañjaya said: Torn by inner conflict and wavering in a divided state of mind, the Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) then uttered that falsehood—prompted by the prospect of the slaying of the foremost of men—at that moment. The verse highlights the ethical fracture caused when the pressure of war and the desire to secure victory push even a truth-bound person toward deception.

Verse 18

पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुन एक बार दुविधामें पड़कर चंचल हो गये थे, तथापि नरश्रेष्ठ संशप्तक वीरोंके वधका निश्चय करके उन्होंने उस दुविधाको मिथ्या कर दिया था ।। ततः शतसहस््राणि शराणां नतपर्वणाम्‌ | असृजन्नर्जुने राजन्‌ संशप्तकमहारथा:,राजन्‌! तदनन्तर संशप्तक महारथियोंने अर्जुनपर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले एक लाख बाणोंकी वर्षा की

Sañjaya said: Then, O King, the Saṃśaptaka warriors—mighty chariot-fighters—released upon Arjuna a hundred thousand arrows, their joints bent downward, in a relentless shower. Though Arjuna had earlier wavered in doubt, he had made that hesitation false by firmly resolving to destroy the Saṃśaptakas; now they answered his resolve with overwhelming force on the battlefield.

Verse 19

नैव कुन्तीसुत: पार्थो नैव कृष्णो जनार्दन: । न हया न रथो राजन दृश्यन्ते सम शरैश्षिता:,महाराज! उस समय न तो कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन, न जनार्दन श्रीकृष्ण, न घोड़े और न रथ ही दिखायी देते थे। सब-के-सब वहाँ बाणोंके ढेरसे आच्छादित हो गये थे

Sañjaya said: “O King, at that moment neither Pārtha Arjuna, the son of Kuntī, nor Kṛṣṇa Janārdana could be seen—nor the horses, nor even the chariot. All of them were completely hidden, covered over by a dense mass of sharp arrows.”

Verse 20

तदा मोहमनुप्राप्त: सिष्विदे हि जनार्दन: । ततस्तान्‌ प्रायशः पार्थों ब्रह्मास्त्रेण निजध्निवान्‌,उस अवस्थामें भगवान्‌ जनार्दन पसीने-पसीने हो गये। उनपर मोह-सा छा गया। यह देख अर्जुनने ब्रह्मास्त्रसे उन सबको अधिकांशमें नष्ट कर दिया

Then Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa) was overtaken by a kind of bewilderment and broke into sweat. Seeing this, Pārtha (Arjuna) struck down most of those warriors with the Brahmāstra. The verse underscores how even the Lord’s charioteer-role shares the strain of battle, while Arjuna’s resort to a supreme weapon raises the ethical tension between necessity in war and the peril of escalation.

Verse 21

शतश: पाणयश्शकछिन्ना: सेषुज्यातलकार्मुका: । केतवो वाजिन: सूता रथिनश्वापतन्‌ क्षितौ,सैकड़ों भुजाएँ बाण, प्रत्यंचा और धनुषसहित कट गयीं। ध्वज, घोड़े, सारथि और रथी सभी धराशायी हो गये

Sañjaya said: In hundreds, arms were severed—still clutching bows with their bowstrings and grips. Standards toppled; horses fell; charioteers and the chariot-warriors themselves were struck down upon the earth. The scene lays bare the terrible cost of battle, where prowess and rank alike collapse before the impartial violence of war.

Verse 22

ट्रुमाचलाग्राम्बुधरै: समकाया: सुकल्पिता: । हतारोहा:ः क्षितौ पेतुर्द्धिपा: पार्थशराहता:,वृक्ष, पर्वत-शिखर और मेघोंके समान विशाल एवं ऊँचे शरीरवाले, सजे-सजाये हाथी, जिनके सवार पहले ही मार दिये गये थे, अर्जुनके बाणोंसे आहत होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े

Sañjaya said: The well-adorned elephants—huge and lofty in body, like trees, mountain-peaks, and rain-bearing clouds—whose riders had already been slain, were struck by Arjuna’s arrows and fell upon the earth. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where even mighty war-beasts become helpless once their human guidance is removed, and where skill in arms brings swift, irreversible consequences.

Verse 23

विप्रविद्धकुथा नागाश्छिन्नभाण्डा: परासव: । सारोहास्तु रणे पेतुर्मथिता मार्गणैर्भूशम्‌

Sañjaya said: The elephants, their trappings torn and their bodies pierced, were left lifeless. Their riders too, shattered by volleys of arrows, fell in the battle onto the ground. The scene underscores the brutal momentum of war, where martial prowess turns swiftly into widespread destruction and the bonds between warrior and mount are severed by fate and weaponry.

Verse 24

उस रणक्षेत्रमें बहुत-से हाथी अर्जुनके बाणोंसे मथित होकर सवारोंसहित प्राणशून्य होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े। उस समय उनके झूल चिथड़े-चिथड़े होकर दूर जा पड़े थे और उनके आभूषणोंके भी टुकड़े-टुकड़े हो गये थे ।। सर्थ्िप्रासासिनखरा: समुद्गरपरश्वधा: । विच्छिन्ना बाहव: पेतुर्न॒णां भल्‍्लै: किरीटिना,किरीटधारी अर्जुनके भललनामक बाणोंसे ऋष्टि, प्रास, खड़ग, नखर, मुद्गर और फरसोंसहित वीरोंकी भुजाएँ कटकर गिर गयीं

Sañjaya said: With Arjuna’s razor-edged bhalla arrows, the arms of warriors were severed and fell to the ground—arms still bearing their weapons: spears and javelins, swords, claw-like blades, maces, and axes. The scene underscores the terrible efficiency of disciplined martial skill in war, where valor and duty unfold amid grievous bodily loss.

Verse 25

बालादित्याम्बुजेन्दूनां तुल्यरूपाणि मारिष । संच्छिन्नान्यर्जुनशरै: शिरांस्युर्व्या प्रपेदिरे,आर्य! योद्धाओंके मस्तक, जो बालसूर्य, कमल और चन्द्रमाके समान सुन्दर थे, अर्जुनके बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न हो पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े

Sañjaya said: O venerable one, the warriors’ heads—beautiful like the young sun, the lotus, and the moon—were severed by Arjuna’s arrows and fell upon the earth. The verse heightens the tragic irony of war: even what is naturally admired for beauty and vitality is made perishable when dharma is pursued through violent necessity on the battlefield.

Verse 26

जज्वालालंकृता सेना पत्रिभि: प्राणिभोजनै: । नानारूपैस्तदामित्रान्‌ क्रुद्धे निध्नति फाल्गुने,जब क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुन नाना प्रकारके प्राणनाशक बाणोंद्वारा शत्रुओंका नाश करने लगे, उस समय आशभूषणोंसे विभूषित हुई संशप्तकोंकी सारी सेना जलने लगी

Sañjaya said: Then the Saṁsaptaka host, adorned with blazing splendour, seemed to burn as Arjuna (Phālguna), inflamed with wrath, struck down the enemy with many kinds of life-devouring, feathered arrows. The scene underscores how anger, once unleashed in war, turns martial brilliance into a consuming fire that destroys lives without distinction.

Verse 27

क्षोभयन्तं तदा सेनां द्विरदं नलिनीमिव । धनंजयं भूतगणा: साधु साधथ्वित्यपूजयन्‌,जैसे हाथी कमलोंसे भरे हुए सरोवरको मथ डालता है, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनको सारी सेनाका विनाश करते देख सब प्राणी 'साधु-साधु” कहकर अर्जुनकी प्रशंसा करने लगे इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि संशप्तकवधपर्वणि संशप्तकवधे सप्तविंशो5ध्याय: ।। २७ || इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत संशप्तकवधपर्वमें संशप्तकोंका वधविषयक सत्ताईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Sanjaya said: As Arjuna—Dhanañjaya—then churned and shattered the army, like an elephant agitating a lotus-filled lake, hosts of beings acclaimed him, praising him with cries of “Well done! Well done!” In the ethical frame of the epic, this acclaim marks the awe inspired by disciplined prowess used in a righteous cause, even amid the terrible cost of war.

Verse 28

दृष्टवा तत्‌ कर्म पार्थस्य वासवस्येव माधव: । विस्मयं परमं गत्वा प्राज्जलिस्तमुवाच ह,इन्द्रके समान अर्जुनका वह पराक्रम देख भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्ण अत्यन्त आश्वर्यमें पड़कर हाथ जोड़े हुए बोले--

Sañjaya said: Seeing that deed of Pārtha—heroic like that of Vāsava (Indra)—Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) was seized with the highest wonder. With palms joined in reverence, he addressed Arjuna. The verse highlights how extraordinary prowess, when aligned with a righteous cause, evokes not mere praise but humbled admiration even from the wise, reminding the listener that power in war is ethically weighty and must be held with restraint and purpose.

Verse 29

कर्मतत्‌ पार्थ शक्रेण यमेन धनदेन च । दुष्करं समरे यत्‌ ते कृतमद्येति मे मति:,'पार्थ! मेरा ऐसा विश्वास है कि आज समर-भूमिमें तुमने जो कार्य किया है, यह इन्द्र, यम और कुबेरके लिये भी दुष्कर है

Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, in my judgment, the deed you have accomplished today on the battlefield is so difficult that even Śakra (Indra), Yama, and Dhanada (Kubera) would find it hard to perform. Your action stands out as an extraordinary feat of valor and resolve amid the demands of righteous war.”

Verse 30

युगपच्चैव संग्रामे शतशशो5थ सहसत्रश: । पतिता एव मे दृष्टा: संशप्तकमहारथा:,“इस संग्राममें मैंने सैकड़ों और हजारों संशप्तक महारथियोंको एक साथ ही गिरते देखा है”

Sañjaya said: “In this battle, I have seen the Saṃśaptaka great chariot-warriors falling—hundreds and even thousands—at the very same time.”

Verse 31

संशप्तकांस्ततो हत्वा भूयिष्ठा ये व्यवस्थिता: । भगदत्ताय याहीति कृष्णं पार्थो&भ्यनोदयत्‌,इस प्रकार वहाँ खड़े हुए संशप्तक योद्धाओंमेंसे अधिकांशका वध करके अर्जुनने भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णसे कहा--“अब भगदत्तके पास चलिये”

Sañjaya said: After slaying most of the Saṁśaptaka warriors who stood arrayed there, Arjuna urged Kṛṣṇa, “Now, let us go toward Bhagadatta.” The moment underscores Arjuna’s disciplined focus in battle: having met the immediate challenge, he turns without delay to the next formidable opponent, guided by Kṛṣṇa’s charioteering and counsel amid the demands of righteous warfare.