Shloka 9
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
शीर्णवर्मा स तु गज: शरै: सुभृशमर्दित: । बभौ धारानिपाताक्तो व्यभ्र: पर्वतराडिव,कवच कट जानेपर हाथीको बाणोंके आघातसे बड़ी पीड़ा होने लगी। वह खूनकी धारासे नहा उठा और बादलोंसे रहित एवं (गैरिकमिश्रित) जलधारासे भीगे हुए गिरिराजके समान शोभा पाने लगा
śīrṇavarmā sa tu gajaḥ śaraiḥ subhṛśamarditaḥ | babhau dhārānipātākto vyabhraḥ parvatarāḍ iva ||
サञ्जयは語った。鎧を砕かれ、矢に激しく責め立てられたその象は、甚だしい苦痛に苛まれながらも、なお輝いて見えた――血の流れに身を浸し、雲なき空の下、奔流に洗われた大山のごとく。これは戦の残酷な壮麗さを示す。力と護りのためにある高貴な戦獣でさえ苦悶へと落とされるのに、語りは畏敬をもって描き、戦場であらゆる生きものが負う重い道義の代価を聴く者に思い起こさせる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark cost of war: even powerful, protected creatures suffer intensely. The poetic comparison to a cloudless mountain washed by torrents conveys both grandeur and tragedy, prompting reflection on the ethical weight of violence and the collateral suffering of non-combatants and animals in battle.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield scene in which an elephant, its armour broken, is struck repeatedly by arrows. Covered in streaming blood, it is likened to a great mountain drenched by rainfall, emphasizing the ferocity of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.