Shloka 476
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
ऐरावतस्थेन यथा देवराजेन दानवा: । जैसे देवराज इन्द्र ऐगावत हाथीपर बैठकर दानवोंका नाश करते हैं, उसी प्रकार अपने हाथीकी पीठपर बैठे हुए राजा भगदत्त पाण्डव-सैनिकोंका संहार कर रहे थे
airāvatasthena yathā devarājena dānavāḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Seperti Indra, raja para dewa, yang duduk di atas Airāvata menumpaskan kaum Dānava, demikianlah Raja Bhagadatta, bertakhta di atas belakang gajahnya, membantai bala tentera Pāṇḍava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a divine comparison to show how overwhelming martial power can appear on the battlefield; ethically, it also points to the grim paradox of kṣatriya glory—greatness expressed through destruction, reminding readers of war’s tragic expenditure of human life.
Sañjaya describes Bhagadatta fighting from atop his elephant and cutting down the Pāṇḍava troops, likening his onslaught to Indra riding Airāvata and destroying the Dānavas.