Shloka 53
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
पटुघण्टाशतरवां वासवीमशनीमिव । निर्मुक्ताशीविषाकारां पृक्तां गजमदैरपि
sañjaya uvāca | paṭu-ghaṇṭā-śata-ravāṃ vāsavīm aśanīm iva | nirmuktāśīviṣākārāṃ pṛktāṃ gaja-madair api ||
三阇耶说道：“那柄钉头槌上悬着数百铃铛，发出尖厉的轰鸣，骇人如因陀罗之金刚雷霆。它如同蜕去旧皮的毒蛇，令一切众生心生恐惧，却又使己方军阵士气欢腾；其上还沾染着战象的发情液。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how instruments of war are designed to amplify psychological impact: terrorizing opponents while emboldening one’s own side. It implicitly warns that violence operates not only through physical force but also through fear and morale.
Sañjaya is vividly describing a formidable mace in the battlefield context—its bell-like clamor, its thunderbolt-like dreadfulness, its serpent-like fearfulness, and its being smeared with elephant rut-fluid—highlighting its terrifying presence and its effect on both armies.