Shloka 32
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
दुर्योधनसमादिष्टा: कुछ्जरै: पर्वतोपमै: । प्राच्याश्व दाक्षिणात्याश्व॒ कलिड्गप्रमुखा नूपा:,फिर दुर्योधनकी आज्ञा पाकर पूर्व और दक्षिण देशोंके कलिंग आदि नरेशोंने भी अर्जुनपर पर्वताकार हाथियोंद्वारा घेरा डाल दिया
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhana-samādiṣṭāḥ kuñjaraiḥ parvatopamaiḥ | prācyāś ca dākṣiṇātyāś ca kaliṅga-pramukhā nṛpāḥ arjunam paryavārayan ||
Sañjaya said: At Duryodhana’s command, the kings from the eastern and southern regions—led by the ruler(s) of Kaliṅga—surrounded Arjuna with elephants towering like mountains. The scene underscores how, in war, power and obedience to a leader can mobilize vast forces against a single righteous opponent, intensifying the moral weight of collective aggression.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how authority and allegiance in wartime can drive many rulers to participate in overwhelming force against a single target; ethically, it invites reflection on responsibility—whether obedience to a commander absolves one from the moral consequences of collective violence.
Sañjaya reports that, following Duryodhana’s orders, eastern and southern kings—especially the Kaliṅgas—deploy huge, mountain-like elephants to form a ring around Arjuna, attempting to contain and overpower him on the battlefield.