Shloka 453
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
निश्चक्राम ततः सर्वान् परिचिक्षेप पार्थिवान् इसी बीचमें अवसर पाकर वह गजराज बड़ी उतावलीके साथ रथोंके घेरेसे पार निकल गया और समस्त राजाओंको उठा-उठाकर फेंकने लगा
niścakrāma tataḥ sarvān paricikṣepa pārthivān
ततः स गजराजः संधिं लब्ध्वा रथव्यूहात् निष्क्रम्य वेगेन परितः स्थितान् पार्थिवान् समुत्क्षिप्य समन्तात् परिचिक्षेप॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, worldly rank (being a 'pārthiva', a king) offers no inherent protection when violence is unleashed; it implicitly warns that adharma-driven conflict reduces even rulers to vulnerable bodies amid chaos.
Sañjaya reports that a powerful elephant finds an opening, escapes the surrounding chariots, and rampages through the battlefield, lifting and flinging kings—depicting a sudden collapse of formation and control.