Shloka 9
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
अथार्जुनो ज्यातलनेमिनि:स्वने मृदड्भभेरीबहुशडखनादिते । रथाश्वमातड्रसहस्रसंकुले रथोत्तमेनाभ्यपतद् द्विपोत्तमम्,तदनन्तर जहाँ धनुषकी टंकार और पहियोंकी घर्घराहटका शब्द गूँज रहा था, मृदंग, भेरी और बहुसंख्यक शंखोंकी ध्वनि हो रही थी तथा जहाँ रथ, घोड़े और हाथी सहस्रोंकी संख्यामें भरे हुए थे, उस समरांगणमें पूर्वोक्त गजराजके समीप अर्जुन अपने उत्तम रथके द्वारा जा पहुँचे
athārjuno jyātalaneminīḥsvane mṛdaṅgabhērībahuśaṅkhanādite | rathāśvamātaṅgasahasrasaṅkule rathottamenābhyapatad dvipottamam ||
Sañjaya said: Then Arjuna, amid the resounding twang of bowstrings and the rumble of chariot-wheels—while drums, kettledrums, and countless conches blared—drove his excellent chariot into that battlefield crowded with thousands of chariots, horses, and elephants, and closed in upon the foremost of elephants (the great war-elephant previously described).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in practice: disciplined courage and decisive action amid overwhelming noise and chaos. Ethically, it highlights steadiness of purpose—Arjuna advances toward a formidable target without being shaken by the sensory tumult of war.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna driving his excellent chariot into a densely packed battlefield, filled with the sounds of bowstrings, wheels, drums, and conches, and then rushing up to confront the foremost war-elephant previously mentioned.