Shloka 9
Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः
Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter
अथार्जुनो ज्यातलनेमिनि:स्वने मृदड्भभेरीबहुशडखनादिते । रथाश्वमातड्रसहस्रसंकुले रथोत्तमेनाभ्यपतद् द्विपोत्तमम्
athārjuno jyātalaneminīḥsvane mṛdaṅgabhērībahuśaṅkhanādite | rathāśvamātaṅgasahasrasaṅkule rathottamenābhyapatad dvipottamam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Arjuna, di tengah dentingan tali busur dan deruman roda kereta—sementara gendang, beduk perang, dan sangkakala yang tidak terbilang ditiup—memandu kereta perangnya yang unggul memasuki medan yang sesak dengan ribuan kereta, kuda, dan gajah, lalu mendekati gajah yang terunggul itu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in practice: disciplined courage and decisive action amid overwhelming noise and chaos. Ethically, it highlights steadiness of purpose—Arjuna advances toward a formidable target without being shaken by the sensory tumult of war.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna driving his excellent chariot into a densely packed battlefield, filled with the sounds of bowstrings, wheels, drums, and conches, and then rushing up to confront the foremost war-elephant previously mentioned.