Shloka 12
Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle
अथ ड्विपैदेवपतिद्विपाभै- देवारिदर्पापहमत्युदग्रम् । कलिड्भवज्भजाज्रनिषादवीरा जिघांसव: पाण्डवमभ्यधावन्
sañjaya uvāca | atha dvipaiḥ devapati-dvipābhaiḥ devāri-darpāpaham atyudagram | kaliṅga-vaṅgāṅga-niṣāda-vīrā jighāṃsavaḥ pāṇḍavam abhyadhāvan ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian para pahlawan dari Kaliṅga, Aṅga, Vaṅga dan kaum Niṣāda—menunggang gajah-gajah perang yang besar lagi gagah, seumpama Airāvata, gajah Dewa Indra—meluru ke arah Pāṇḍava (Arjuna). Dengan niat membunuh yang menyala-nyala, mereka menyerbu wira perkasa itu, penghancur keangkuhan mereka yang memusuhi para dewa, tatkala di tengah keganasan perang, tertib moral dan kesetiaan kosmik seakan dipanggil menjadi saksi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield action through a moral-cosmic lens: Arjuna is portrayed as a force that humbles the arrogance of those aligned against the gods, suggesting that martial prowess is evaluated not only tactically but also by perceived alignment with dharma and divine order.
Sañjaya reports that warriors from Kaliṅga, Aṅga, Vaṅga, and the Niṣādas, riding huge elephants likened to Indra’s Airāvata, surge forward with the intention of killing Arjuna, initiating a concentrated assault by elephant-mounted troops.