Shloka 24

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

गात्रा भ्यन्तरगो भूत्वा करेणाताडयन्मुहु: । लालयामास तं नागं वधाकाड्क्षिणमव्ययम्‌,वे उसके शरीरके नीचे होकर हाथसे बारंबार थपथपाते हुए वधकी आकांक्षा रखनेवाले उस अविनाशी गजराजको लाड़-प्यार करने लगे

Transliteration

gātrābhyantarago bhūtvā kareṇātāḍayan muhuḥ | lālayāmāsa taṃ nāgaṃ vadhākāṅkṣiṇam avyayam ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ລາວລອດເຂົ້າໄປໃຕ້ຮ່າງຂອງຊ້າງ ແລ້ວໃຊ້ມືຕົບລູບຢ່າງຊ້ຳໆ ເພື່ອປອບໂຍນແລະລູບລ້ຽງຊ້າງເຈົ້ານັ້ນ—ແຂງກ້າ ບໍ່ຍອມອ່ອນ ເຫມືອນຈະບໍ່ອາດທຳລາຍໄດ້—ແມ່ນແມ່ນວ່າມັນມີໃຈຈະຂ້າ. ພາບນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ ໃນກາງຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ ຄວາມຊຳນານແລະສະຕິສາມາດຫັນຄວາມດຸຮ້າຍໃຫ້ເບົາລົງ ໂດຍການຄວບຄຸມຢ່າງສະຫງົບ ບໍ່ແມ່ນດ້ວຍການຂ້າທັນທີ.

Word by Word

गात्राभ्यन्तरगःhaving gone inside the limbs/body (i.e., under/within the body)

भूत्वाhaving become

करेणwith the hand

आताडयत्struck/tapped

मुहुःagain and again; repeatedly

लालयामासcaressed; fondled

तम्that (him)

नागम्elephant

वधाकाङ्क्षिणम्desiring slaughter/death

अव्ययम्imperishable; undecaying

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

elephant (nāga)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a battlefield setting, mastery is not only force but composure and intelligent restraint—meeting lethal intent with presence of mind, control, and sometimes a disarming gentleness that redirects violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior moving under an elephant’s body and repeatedly patting it, calming and handling the powerful animal even though it is eager to kill, portraying a moment of tactical daring and control amid combat.