Shloka 16
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
तस्य कायं विनिर्भिद्य न्यमज्जद् धरणीतले । ततः पपात द्विरदो वज्ाहत इवाचल:,भीमसेनका नाराच उस हाथीके शरीरको विदीर्ण करके धरतीमें समा गया, इससे वह गजराज वज्के मारे हुए पर्वतकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tasya kāyaṁ vinirbhidya nyamajjad dharaṇītale | tataḥ papāta dvirado vajrāhata ivācalaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Anak panah itu menembusi tubuh gajah lalu terbenam ke dalam bumi. Maka gajah besar itu pun rebah ke tanah bagaikan gunung yang dipalu vajra Indra—suatu gambaran tentang kemuktamadan ngeri kekerasan di medan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark consequences of warfare: even the mightiest beings fall swiftly when struck. The thunderbolt-and-mountain simile intensifies the sense of irreversible destruction, inviting reflection on the ethical weight of violence in dharmic conflict.
Sañjaya describes an arrow that pierces an elephant completely and sinks into the earth; the wounded elephant then collapses to the ground like a mountain shattered by Indra’s thunderbolt.