Shloka 20
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
अथ ड्िपं श्वेतवरा भ्रसंनि भं दिवाकरांशुप्रतिमै: शरोत्तमै: । बिभेद पार्थ: स पपात नादयन् हिमाद्रिकूटं कुलिशाहतं यथा
atha dvi-paṁ śvetavaraṁ bhrasaṁnibhaṁ divākarāṁśu-pratimaiḥ śarottamaiḥ | bibheda pārthaḥ sa papāta nādayan himādri-kūṭaṁ kuliśāhataṁ yathā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Pārtha (Arjuna) menembusi gajah putih yang unggul itu—putih laksana awan cerah—dengan anak panah terbaik yang menyala seperti sinar matahari. Setelah ditembusi, ia rebah dengan deruman menggelegar, bagaikan puncak Himālaya yang dihentam vajra Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming momentum of battle: skill and force can bring immediate ruin, and epic poetry frames this human act through cosmic imagery (sun-rays, Indra’s thunderbolt, the Himālaya), reminding the listener that war’s violence is vast in consequence and awe-inspiring in scale.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna striking a great white elephant with brilliant, powerful arrows. The elephant, pierced through, collapses with a tremendous roar, compared to a Himalayan peak felled by Indra’s thunderbolt.