Shloka 28
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
प्रेक्षसे वर्मसंछन्नानू किरातैः समधिष्ठितान् । किरातराजो यानू् प्रादाद् द्विरदान् सव्यसाचिन:
prekṣase varmasaṁchannān kirātaiḥ samadhiṣṭhitān | kirātarājo yān prādād dviradān savyasācinaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Tuanku dapat melihat gajah-gajah itu, berselubung zirah dan dikendalikan sepenuhnya oleh para pahlawan Kirāta—gajah-gajah yang telah dianugerahkan oleh Raja Kirāta kepada Savyasācin (Arjuna).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how alliances and acts of patronage (such as gifting war-elephants) materially shape the battlefield. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s realism: dharma in war is not only personal valor but also preparedness, support, and the responsibilities created by receiving aid.
Sañjaya points out to the listener that certain elephants on the field are armored and crewed by Kirāta warriors, and identifies them as the very elephants earlier granted by the Kirāta king to Arjuna (Savyasācin).