Shloka 28
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
पुनर्गात्राणि नागस्य प्रविवेश वृकोदर: । यावत् प्रतिगजायातं स्वबले प्रत्यवैक्षत,तदनन्तर भीमसेन पुनः उस हाथीके शरीरमें ही छिप गये और अपनी सेनाकी ओरसे उस हाथीका सामना करनेके लिये किसी दूसरे हाथीके आगमनकी प्रतीक्षा करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca |
punar gātrāṇi nāgasya praviveśa vṛkodaraḥ |
yāvat pratigajāyātaṃ svabale pratyavaikṣata |
सञ्जय उवाच—पुनर्गात्राणि नागस्य प्रविवेश वृकोदरः। यावत् प्रतिगजायातं स्वबले प्रत्यवैक्षत्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: in war, success often depends on vigilance, timing, and tactical concealment, even when such methods sit uneasily beside ideals of straightforward kṣatriya valor. It invites reflection on how dharma is tested and negotiated under extreme conditions.
Bhīma (Vṛkodara) hides again within the elephant’s body and watches from his own army’s side, waiting for another elephant to come forward to oppose it—suggesting a planned ambush or a tactical response amid elephant warfare.