Shloka 23

Devanagari script

पादातैराहता नागा विवरेषु समन्ततः । चक्कुरार्तस्वरं घोरें दुद्र॒ुवुश्ष दिशो दश,प्रहारका अवसर मिलनेपर पैदल सैनिक भी चारों ओरसे हाथियोंको गहरी चोट पहुँचाते और वे घोर आर्तनाद करते हुए सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंकी ओर भाग जाते थे

Transliteration

pādātair āhatā nāgā vivareṣu samantataḥ | cakrur ārta-svaraṁ ghoraṁ dudruvuś ca diśo daśa ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：步兵从四面八方击打战象——尤其趁其破绽薄弱之处下手——群象发出凄厉痛苦的长鸣，遂向十方奔逃。此景表明：在战争的混乱中，再强大的力量也会因弱点被击中而崩溃，而苦难则在战场上不分彼此地蔓延。

Word by Word

पादैःby foot-soldiers / with feet (i.e., by infantry)

तैःby them

आहताःstruck, wounded

नागाःelephants

विवरेषुin gaps/holes/defiles

समन्ततःon all sides, all around

चक्रुःthey made/uttered

आर्तस्वरम्a distressed cry

घोरम्terrible

दुद्रुवुःthey ran

दिशःdirections

दशten

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

infantry (pādāta)

war-elephants (nāga)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: strength is undone when vulnerabilities are targeted, and the consequences—fear, pain, and disorder—affect all beings, not only the principal warriors. It implicitly cautions against glorifying battle by foregrounding suffering and panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the fighting, infantrymen find openings and strike the elephants from all sides. The elephants, overwhelmed and wounded, emit terrible cries of distress and scatter, fleeing in every direction across the battlefield.