Shloka 16

Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः

Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter

Devanagari script

हिमावदातेन सुवर्णमालिना हिमाद्रिकूटप्रतिमेन दन्तिना । हते रणे भ्रातरि दण्ड आव्रज- ज्जिघांसुरिन्द्रावरजं धनंजयम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

himāvadātena suvarṇamālinā himādrikūṭapratimena dantinā |

hate raṇe bhrātari daṇḍa āvrajaj-jighāṃsur indrāvarajaṃ dhanañjayam ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Quando seu irmão Daṇḍa foi morto em combate, Daṇḍa irrompeu no campo de batalha, decidido a matar Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), o irmão mais novo de Indra. Chegou montado num elefante régio—branco como a neve, ornado com uma guirlanda de ouro e imenso como um pico do Himālaya—impelido pela vingança nascida da perda fraterna.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'himāvadāta': 'snow-white

• as white as snow', 'suvarṇamālin': 'wearing a garland/necklace of gold', 'himādri': 'the Himālaya mountain', 'kūṭa': 'peak, summit', 'pratima': 'like, comparable to', 'dantin': 'elephant

• one possessing tusks', 'hata': 'slain, killed', 'raṇe': 'in battle', 'bhrātari': 'when (his) brother', 'āvrajat': 'came, rushed forth, approached', 'jighāṃsu': 'desiring to kill

• intent on slaying', 'indrāvaraja': 'the younger brother of Indra (epithet of Arjuna)', 'dhanañjaya': 'Arjuna (conqueror of wealth)', 'raṇabhūmi': 'battlefield'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Daṇḍa
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Indrāvaraja)
• Indra
• Himālaya (Himādri)
• Elephant (gajarāja/dantin)
• Golden garland (suvarṇamālā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how grief and attachment—here, the loss of a brother—can swiftly harden into vengeance, driving a warrior toward further violence. It implicitly raises an ethical tension central to the epic: personal retaliation versus restraint and discernment within dharma amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Daṇḍa’s arrival on the battlefield after his brother Daṇḍa has been killed. Burning with the desire to slay Arjuna, Daṇḍa comes mounted on a massive, snow-white elephant adorned with gold, his approach portrayed with grand, mountainous imagery.