Mahabharata 7.28.20 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 28, Shloka 20
Bhagadatta’s Astra and the Fall of the Prāgjyotiṣa King (भगदत्त-वधः / वैष्णवास्त्र-प्रसङ्गः)
यथा नलवन क्रुद्धः प्रभिन्न: षष्टिहायन: । मृदनीयात् तद्वदायस्त: पार्थो5मृद्नाच्चमूं तव
yathā nalavana-kruddhaḥ prabhinnaḥ ṣaṣṭihāyanaḥ | mṛdanīyāt tadvad āyastaḥ pārtho 'mṛdnāc camūṃ tava ||
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—“ดุจช้างอายุหกสิบปี กำลังตกมันและเดือดดาล ย่ำพงอ้อกกจนแหลกเป็นผงธุลี ฉันใด ปารถะผู้เพียรพยายามไม่หยุดยั้งก็ย่ำยีบดขยี้กองทัพของพระองค์ฉันนั้น”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked martial force can become irresistible—like a musth elephant—once battle is fully joined. Ethically, it points to the grave consequences of provoking a dharmic conflict: when war is set in motion, even rightful prowess results in vast destruction that cannot be easily contained.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna (Pārtha), exerting himself intensely, has devastated the Kaurava forces. The comparison to an enraged, musth elephant trampling a reed-grove conveys the speed and inevitability with which Arjuna breaks through the opposing ranks.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.