Shloka 453
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
निश्चक्राम ततः सर्वान् परिचिक्षेप पार्थिवान् इसी बीचमें अवसर पाकर वह गजराज बड़ी उतावलीके साथ रथोंके घेरेसे पार निकल गया और समस्त राजाओंको उठा-उठाकर फेंकने लगा
niścakrāma tataḥ sarvān paricikṣepa pārthivān
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian gajah besar itu, merebut peluang, menerobos keluar dari kepungan kereta-kereta perang dan mula mengangkat lalu menghempas para raja di segenap penjuru.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, worldly rank (being a 'pārthiva', a king) offers no inherent protection when violence is unleashed; it implicitly warns that adharma-driven conflict reduces even rulers to vulnerable bodies amid chaos.
Sañjaya reports that a powerful elephant finds an opening, escapes the surrounding chariots, and rampages through the battlefield, lifting and flinging kings—depicting a sudden collapse of formation and control.