Shloka 62
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
नियन्तुः शिल्पयत्नाभ्यां प्रेरितोडरिशरार्दित: । परिचिक्षेप तान् नाग: स रिपून् सव्यदक्षिणम्,महावतके कौशल और प्रयत्नसे प्रेरित होकर वह हाथी शत्रुओंके बाणोंसे पीड़ित होनेपर भी उन विपक्षियोंको दायें-बायें उठाकर फेंकने लगा
niyantuḥ śilpa-yatnābhyāṃ prerito dari-śarārditaḥ | paricikṣepa tān nāgaḥ sa ripūn savya-dakṣiṇam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Walaupun diseksa oleh anak panah musuh, gajah perang yang besar itu—didorong oleh kemahiran dan usaha tekun mahoutnya—mula menangkap para lawan lalu menghempas mereka ke kiri dan ke kanan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined training (śilpa) and resolute effort (yatna) as forces that sustain action even under pain; in the ethical frame of the epic’s battlefield, steadfast execution of one’s role—here, the mahout guiding the elephant—enables endurance amid adversity.
Sañjaya describes a war-elephant, wounded by enemy arrows, being driven forward by its mahout’s skill and effort; the elephant then lifts and flings the opposing warriors to both sides, intensifying the chaos and force of the battle.