Shloka 17
वृको द्विपस्थं गिरिराजवासिनं भृशं शरैर्द्धादशभि: पराभिनत् | ततो वृकं साश्वरथं महाद्विपो द्रुतं चतुर्भिश्वरणैव्यपोथयत्,तब वृकने उस पहाड़ी राजाको बारह बाण मारकर अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया। चोट खाकर पर्वतीय नरेशका वह विशाल गजराज वृककी ओर झपटा और उसने रथ और घोड़ोंसहित वृकको अपने चारों पैरोंसे दबाकर तुरंत ही उसका कचूमर निकाल दिया
vṛko dvipasthaṃ girirājavāsinaṃ bhṛśaṃ śarair dvādaśabhiḥ parābhinat | tato vṛkaṃ sāśvarathaṃ mahādvipo drutaṃ caturbhiś caraṇair vyapothayat |
Sañjaya said: Vṛka fiercely pierced the mountain-king’s elephant-mounted warrior with twelve arrows, grievously wounding him. Struck and enraged, that great elephant of the hill-chief rushed at Vṛka and, in an instant, crushed him—along with his chariot and horses—by trampling him under its four feet. The episode underscores the brutal reciprocity of battlefield violence: skill and aggression invite immediate counter-force, and in war even a moment’s advantage can turn into sudden destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral reality of war: violent action provokes violent response, and power can reverse instantly. It implicitly cautions against overconfidence and shows how, within kṣatriya-dharma, courage and aggression coexist with vulnerability to sudden counterblows.
Vṛka shoots twelve arrows at an elephant-mounted hill-chief, badly wounding him. The chief’s great elephant charges and immediately tramples Vṛka, crushing him along with his chariot and horses.