Shloka 22
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
स नागप्रवरो>त्युग्रो विधिवत् कल्पितो बभौ । उदयाद्रयग्रयभवनं यथाभ्युदितभास्करम्
sa nāgapravaro ’tyugro vidhivat kalpito babhau | udayādri-agra-bhavanaṃ yathābhyudita-bhāskaram || śambarasya śiro yadvan nihatasya mahāraṇe | śocayan kekayān sarvān jagāmāśu vasuṃdharām ||
Sañjaya berkata: Gajah yang terunggul itu—garang dan menggerunkan—telah dihias menurut aturan dan disiplin yang wajar, lalu bersinar bagaikan puncak tertinggi Gunung Udaya tatkala matahari baru terbit. Kemudian, dalam pertempuran besar itu, kepala besar Anuvinda yang berhiaskan permata telah dipancung dan jatuh, menyerupai kepala asura Śambara ketika dibunuh; dan saat ia segera menghentam bumi, ia menenggelamkan seluruh Kekaya dalam dukacita.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of war: even when martial duty is fulfilled with proper order and prowess, the outcome is marked by irreversible loss. The fall of a leader brings collective sorrow, reminding the listener that victory and splendor in battle are inseparable from grief and impermanence.
Sañjaya describes a fearsome, properly arrayed war-elephant shining like a sunrise-lit peak. He then reports that in the great battle Anuvinda’s ornamented head is cut off and falls to the earth, likened to the slain demon Śambara’s head, causing all the Kekayas to mourn.