Shloka 11
शैब्यो गोवासनो युद्धे काश्यपुत्र॑ महारथम् । ससैन्यो योधयामास गज: प्रतिगजं यथा,शिवबिदेशीय गोवासनने सेनासहित सामने जा काशिराजके महारथी पुत्रके साथ रणक्षेत्रमें उसी प्रकार युद्ध किया, जैसे एक हाथी अपने प्रतिद्वन्द्दी दूसरे हाथीके साथ युद्ध करता है
saibyo govāsano yuddhe kāśyaputraṁ mahāratham | sa-sainyo yodhayāmāsa gajaḥ pratigajaṁ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: In the battle, Śaibya Govāsana, together with his troops, engaged the great chariot-warrior—the son of Kāśyapa—in combat, like one elephant fighting a rival elephant. The verse underscores the sheer force and parity of the duel: two powerful champions meeting head-on amid the larger violence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring portrayal of war as a clash of immense personal powers within a larger moral tragedy. By comparing the duel to elephant-against-elephant, it emphasizes parity, intensity, and the dangerous momentum of kṣatriya valor—strength that can be admirable yet bound to the destructive setting of battle.
Sañjaya reports that Śaibya Govāsana, supported by his troops, confronts and fights a renowned mahāratha identified as the ‘son of Kāśyapa.’ The encounter is described as a direct, forceful duel, likened to two elephants battling each other.