Shloka 16

Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः

Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter

Devanagari script

हिमावदातेन सुवर्णमालिना हिमाद्रिकूटप्रतिमेन दन्तिना । हते रणे भ्रातरि दण्ड आव्रज- ज्जिघांसुरिन्द्रावरजं धनंजयम्‌,रणभूमिमें अपने भाई दण्डधारके मारे जानेपर दण्ड श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनका वध करनेकी इच्छासे बर्फके समान सफेद, सुवर्णमालाधारी तथा हिमालयके शिखरके समान विशालकाय गजराजके द्वारा वहाँ आ पहुँचा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

himāvadātena suvarṇamālinā himādrikūṭapratimena dantinā |

hate raṇe bhrātari daṇḍa āvrajaj-jighāṃsur indrāvarajaṃ dhanañjayam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: When his brother Daṇḍa was slain in battle, Daṇḍa (the warrior) rushed onto the field, intent on killing Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), the younger brother of Indra. He arrived mounted upon a lordly elephant—snow-white, adorned with a garland of gold, and towering like a peak of the Himālaya—driven by vengeful resolve born of fraternal loss.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'himāvadāta': 'snow-white

• as white as snow', 'suvarṇamālin': 'wearing a garland/necklace of gold', 'himādri': 'the Himālaya mountain', 'kūṭa': 'peak, summit', 'pratima': 'like, comparable to', 'dantin': 'elephant

• one possessing tusks', 'hata': 'slain, killed', 'raṇe': 'in battle', 'bhrātari': 'when (his) brother', 'āvrajat': 'came, rushed forth, approached', 'jighāṃsu': 'desiring to kill

• intent on slaying', 'indrāvaraja': 'the younger brother of Indra (epithet of Arjuna)', 'dhanañjaya': 'Arjuna (conqueror of wealth)', 'raṇabhūmi': 'battlefield'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Daṇḍa
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Indrāvaraja)
• Indra
• Himālaya (Himādri)
• Elephant (gajarāja/dantin)
• Golden garland (suvarṇamālā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how grief and attachment—here, the loss of a brother—can swiftly harden into vengeance, driving a warrior toward further violence. It implicitly raises an ethical tension central to the epic: personal retaliation versus restraint and discernment within dharma amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Daṇḍa’s arrival on the battlefield after his brother Daṇḍa has been killed. Burning with the desire to slay Arjuna, Daṇḍa comes mounted on a massive, snow-white elephant adorned with gold, his approach portrayed with grand, mountainous imagery.