Shloka 30
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
आर्जुनि: समरे सैन्यं तावकं सम्ममर्द ह | मदान्धो गन्धनागेन्द्र: सपड्मां पिशेनीमिव,मायाद्वारा युद्ध करनेवाले उस राक्षसके पराजित हो जानेपर अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युने तुरंत ही रणक्षेत्रमें आपकी सेनाका उसी प्रकार मर्दन आरम्भ किया, जैसे गन्धयुक्त मदान्ध गजराज कमलोंसे भरी हुई पुष्करिणीको मथ डालता है
sañjaya uvāca | arjuniḥ samare sainyaṃ tāvakaṃ sammamarda ha | madāndho gandhanāgendraḥ sapadmāṃ puṣkariṇīm iva |
Disse Sañjaya: No auge da batalha, Arjuni—Abhimanyu, filho de Arjuna—começou a esmagar o teu exército. Como um senhor dos elefantes, carregado de fragrância e enlouquecido pela embriaguez do cio, revolvendo um lago repleto de lótus, ele rompeu as fileiras com violência, exibindo o ímpeto feroz de um guerreiro formado no dharma, mas compelido pelas necessidades da guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its narrative form: disciplined martial prowess used decisively in war. Ethically, it underscores how duty-driven combat can be portrayed as forceful yet purposeful, framed through poetic imagery rather than moral celebration of violence for its own sake.
After a māyā-based (deceptive/illusory) fighter is overcome (as indicated by the accompanying Hindi gloss), Abhimanyu immediately begins to rout and crush the Kaurava forces on the battlefield, compared to a rut-maddened elephant churning a lotus-filled pond.