Shloka 22
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
अश्वत्थामा कुरूणां च ये प्रवीरा महारथा:
sañjaya uvāca | aśvatthāmā kurūṇāṃ ca ye pravīrā mahārathāḥ, aśvatthāmā kauravapakṣake pramukha-mahārathī vīraḥ śaurya-sampanna-mleccha-sainikaiḥ yuktaḥ nitya-matavāla-gajān varṣā-kāle meghān iva mada-dhārāṃ sravantān tāṃ ratha-senāṃ paścāt paścāt anvayāt |
サンジャヤは言った――アシュヴァッターマは、クル族の最上の勇士たる大車戦士たちと共に、その戦車軍の後方を進んだ。カウラヴァ方では彼は先頭に立つマハーラタとして動き、猛々しく武勇に富むムレッチャの兵を従え、さらに常に発情して狂い、酔液（マダ）を雨雲のごとく滴らせる戦象を伴っていた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies raw force—intoxicated elephants, foreign auxiliaries, and elite champions—suggesting that when power surges unchecked, discernment and dharma can be overshadowed. It implicitly warns that might and momentum are not the same as moral rightness.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā as a principal Kaurava mahāratha moving behind the main chariot formation, accompanied by valorous troops and rutting elephants streaming ichor like monsoon clouds, emphasizing the scale and ferocity of the advancing force.