Shloka 38
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
तमभ्यधावद् द्विरदं भीमो भीमस्य नागराट् । महावातेरितं मेघं वातोद्धूत इवाम्बुद:
sañjaya uvāca |
tam abhyadhāvad dviradaṃ bhīmo bhīmasya nāgarāṭ |
mahāvāteritaṃ meghaṃ vātoddhūta ivāmbudaḥ ||
sā vadhyamānā samare kekayānāṃ mahācamūḥ |
tam utsṛjya raṇe śatruṃ pradudrāva diśo daśa ||
サンジャヤは言った。「ビーマの威厳ある戦象は、あの象を追って突進した。大いなる暴風に投げやられた雲を、風に駆られた別の雲が追いすがるがごとくである。そのころ戦場で討たれ続けたケーカヤの大軍は、戦いのさなかに敵を捨て、十方へと散り散りに逃げ去った。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth of warfare: when fear and losses overwhelm discipline, even a large force collapses into disorder. Conversely, relentless pursuit intensifies panic. Implicitly, it points to the ethical weight of leadership—armies depend on steadiness and cohesion, and once these fail, destruction and flight follow.
Bhima’s powerful elephant rushes after an opposing elephant, compared to wind-driven clouds chasing one another. At the same time, the Kekaya troops, being heavily struck down in battle, abandon the fight and scatter in all directions.