Shloka 22
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
अश्वत्थामा कुरूणां च ये प्रवीरा महारथा:
sañjaya uvāca | aśvatthāmā kurūṇāṃ ca ye pravīrā mahārathāḥ, aśvatthāmā kauravapakṣake pramukha-mahārathī vīraḥ śaurya-sampanna-mleccha-sainikaiḥ yuktaḥ nitya-matavāla-gajān varṣā-kāle meghān iva mada-dhārāṃ sravantān tāṃ ratha-senāṃ paścāt paścāt anvayāt |
三阇耶说道：阿湿婆他摩与俱卢族诸最上英雄——诸大车战士——紧随那车阵之后。在俱卢婆一方，他以首要摩诃罗陀之姿行进，身旁伴有凶悍勇猛的弥勒叉外族兵，以及常在发情狂醉中的战象；象额流出醉液，如季风雨云倾泻。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies raw force—intoxicated elephants, foreign auxiliaries, and elite champions—suggesting that when power surges unchecked, discernment and dharma can be overshadowed. It implicitly warns that might and momentum are not the same as moral rightness.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā as a principal Kaurava mahāratha moving behind the main chariot formation, accompanied by valorous troops and rutting elephants streaming ichor like monsoon clouds, emphasizing the scale and ferocity of the advancing force.