Shloka 493
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
एकविंशतिसाहस्रान् पदातीन् समपोथयत् । रथ और घोड़ोंसे रहित उन इकक््कीसों हजार पैदल सैनिकोंको पुरुषप्रवर भीमने गदासे मारकर धराशायी कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | ekaviṃśatisāhasrān padātīn samapothayat |
Wika ni Sañjaya: Si Bhīma, pinakadakila sa mga lalaki, ay nagpabagsak at dumurog sa dalawampu’t isang libong kawal na naglalakad—na wala nang mga karwahe at kabayo—at ibinuwal sila sa lupa sa pamamagitan ng kanyang pamalo. Ipinakikita ng tagpong ito ang malupit na agos ng labanan: ang lakas at paninindigan ay nakalalamang kahit sa napakarami, at ibinubukas ang tensiyong moral sa pagitan ng tungkuling mandirigma at halaga ng buhay ng tao.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless force of war and the kṣatriya ideal of decisive action in battle, while implicitly confronting the moral weight of mass slaughter—valor and duty unfolding amid immense human loss.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, wielding his mace, overwhelms and fells twenty-one thousand infantrymen who are described as being without chariots and horses, emphasizing both their vulnerability and Bhīma’s destructive prowess.