Shloka 43
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
सतु विष्ट भ्य गात्राणि दन्ताभ्यामवनिं ययौ । नदन्नार्तस्वनं प्राणानुत्ससर्ज महाद्विप:,उस महान् गजराजने अपने अंगोंको निश्लेष्ट करके दोनों दाँत धरतीपर टेक दिये और आर्तस्वरसे चीत्कार करके प्राण त्याग दिये
sa tu viṣṭabhya gātrāṇi dantābhyām avanīṃ yayau | nadann ārta-svanaṃ prāṇān utsasarja mahādvipaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The great elephant, bracing its limbs, sank down to the earth, resting upon its two tusks. With a cry of anguish, it released its life-breath and died—an image of the battlefield’s pitiless cost, where even the mightiest creatures fall and suffering resounds beyond human combatants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: suffering is not confined to warriors alone. The death-cry of the great elephant highlights the collateral pain and the impermanence of strength, urging reflective restraint and compassion amid narratives of heroism.
Sañjaya describes a great elephant collapsing in agony. It steadies its limbs, lowers itself to the ground, rests on its tusks, cries out in distress, and then gives up its life-breath—signaling a poignant moment of loss within the battle scene.