Shloka 20
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 209: Śaraṇāgati of the Cursed Apsarases; Nārītīrtha-prasiddhi; Arjuna’s Vimocana
प्रभिन्नकरटौ मत्तौ भूत्वा कुड्जरखूपिणौ । संलीनमपि दुर्गेषु निन्यतुर्यमसादनम्,कठिन-से-कठिन स्थानमें छिपे हुए मुनिको भी वे मद बहानेवाले मतवाले हाथीका रूप धारण करके यमलोक पहुँचा देते थे
prabhinnakaraṭau mattau bhūtvā kuñjararūpiṇau | saṁlīnam api durgeṣu ninyatur yamasādanam ||
Nag-anyong mga dambuhalang elepanteng nagngangalit, umaagos ang likido sa sentido sa panahon ng rut at lasing ang diwa; at kahit ang isang rishi na nagkubli sa pinakadi-malalapitan na kuta, hinihila nila patungo sa tahanan ni Yama (kamatayan).
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that when strength is joined with intoxication and cruelty, it becomes a force that tramples dharmic boundaries—so extreme that even those seeking refuge in austerity and seclusion are not spared. It highlights the ethical danger of unrestrained power and the violation of sacred protections.
Nārada describes two agents (implied by the dual forms) who, becoming musth elephants, hunt down and seize even a hidden muni in remote, hard-to-reach places, carrying him to Yama’s abode—an image of relentless, lethal pursuit.