Shloka 553
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
विलम्बमानमवहत् संश्लिष्टं परमासनम् | खूनसे भीगे शरीरवाला जलसंधका वह हाथी अपनी पीठसे सटकर लटकते हुए उस हौदेको ढो रहा था
vilambamānam avahat saṃśliṣṭaṃ paramāsanam |
सञ्जय उवाच—रुधिरार्द्रतनुः स गजः परमासनसन्निभं तद् विमानं पृष्ठे संश्लिष्टं लम्बमानं विलम्बमानम् अवहत्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it underscores the grim reality of war—blood, injury, and the burden borne even by animals—inviting reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the suffering that accompanies adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene in which an elephant, soaked in blood, continues to carry a large seat-like howdah/platform that hangs and clings to its back, emphasizing the chaos and brutality of the fighting.