Shloka 22
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
स नागप्रवरो>त्युग्रो विधिवत् कल्पितो बभौ । उदयाद्रयग्रयभवनं यथाभ्युदितभास्करम्
sa nāgapravaro ’tyugro vidhivat kalpito babhau | udayādri-agra-bhavanaṃ yathābhyudita-bhāskaram || śambarasya śiro yadvan nihatasya mahāraṇe | śocayan kekayān sarvān jagāmāśu vasuṃdharām ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Ang pangunahing elepanteng iyon—mabangis at kakila-kilabot—ay inayos at pinalamutian ayon sa wastong tuntunin at disiplina, at nagningning na parang pinakamataas na tuktok ng Bundok Udaya kapag kasisikat pa lamang ng araw. Pagkaraan, sa dakilang labanan, ang malaking ulo ni Anuvinda na hitik sa hiyas ay naputol at bumagsak, tulad ng ulo ng asurang si Śambara nang mapatay; at nang mabilis itong tumama sa lupa, ibinagsak nito sa matinding dalamhati ang buong Kekaya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of war: even when martial duty is fulfilled with proper order and prowess, the outcome is marked by irreversible loss. The fall of a leader brings collective sorrow, reminding the listener that victory and splendor in battle are inseparable from grief and impermanence.
Sañjaya describes a fearsome, properly arrayed war-elephant shining like a sunrise-lit peak. He then reports that in the great battle Anuvinda’s ornamented head is cut off and falls to the earth, likened to the slain demon Śambara’s head, causing all the Kekayas to mourn.