Shloka 196

नागैरिव महानागा यथावद्‌ गिरिगद्नरे । महाराज! उन सुदृढ़ धनुर्धरोंद्वारा मारे गये वे घुड़सवार रणभूमिमें उसी प्रकार गिरते थे, जैसे पर्वतोंकी कन्दरामें बड़े-बड़े हाथी हाथियोंसे ही मारे जाकर गिरते हैं

nāgair iva mahānāgā yathāvad girigahvare | mahārāja! taiḥ sudṛḍha-dhanurdharaiḥ hatāḥ te aśvārūḍhā raṇabhūmau tathā nipetūḥ, yathā parvatakandarāsu mahāgajāḥ gajair eva hatāḥ patanti ||

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະມະຫາກະສັດ! ພວກຂີ່ມ້າເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ ຖືກນັກທະນູຜູ້ໝັ້ນຄົງຍິງລົງ ແລະລົ້ມກະທົບລົງໃນສະໜາມຮົບ ເຫມືອນຊ້າງໃຫຍ່ທີ່ຖືກຊ້າງອື່ນຂ້າ ແລ້ວລົ້ມຢູ່ໃນໂພງພູ».

नागैःby elephants
नागैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootनाग
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
महानागाःgreat elephants
महानागाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमहानाग
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
यथाjust as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
अवद्as said/according to statement (particle used in comparison)
अवद्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअवद्
गिरिin a mountain
गिरि:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootगिरि
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
गद्नरेin a cave/cleft (as transmitted; unclear form)
गद्नरे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootगद्नर
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
M
Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
A
archers (dhanurdharāḥ)
H
horsemen (aśvārūḍhāḥ)
E
elephants (nāgāḥ/mahānāgāḥ/mahāgajāḥ)
B
battlefield (raṇabhūmi)
M
mountain caverns (girigahvara/parvatakandarā)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the harsh symmetry of warfare: power confronts power, and even the mighty fall when met by equal or greater force. Ethically, it points to the inevitability of consequences in violent conflict and the fragility of embodied strength.

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra how horsemen, killed by strong archers, are falling on the battlefield. He intensifies the scene through a simile: like great elephants felled by other elephants in mountain caverns.