ततः प्रभिन्नेन महागजेन; महीधराभेन पुनर् विकर्णः ॥
रथैश् चतुर्भिर् गजपादरक्षैः; कुन्तीसुतं जिष्णुम् अथाभ्यधावत् ॥
तम् आपतन्तं त्वरितं गजेन्द्रं; धनंजयः कुम्भविभागमध्ये ॥
आकर्णपूर्णेन दृढायसेन; बाणेन विव्याध महाजवेन ॥
पार्थेन सृष्टः स तु गार्ध्रपत्र; आ पुङ्खदेशात् प्रविवेश नागम् ॥
विदार्य शैलप्रवरप्रकाशं; यथाशनिः पर्वतम् इन्द्रसृष्टः ॥
शरप्रतप्तः स तु नागराजः; प्रवेपिताङ्गो व्यथितान्तरात्मा ॥
संसीदमानो निपपात मह्यां; वज्राहतं शृङ्गम् इवाचलस्य ॥
निपातिते दन्तिवरे पृथिव्यां; त्रासाद् विकर्णः सहसावतीर्य ॥
तूर्णं पदान्य् अष्टशतानि गत्वा; विविंशतेः स्यन्दनम् आरुरोह ॥
निहत्य नागं तु शरेण तेन; वज्रोपमेनाद्रिवराम्बुदाभम् ॥
तथाविधेनैव शरेण पार्थो; दुर्योधनं वक्षसि निर्बिभेद ॥
ततो गजे राजनि चैव भिन्ने; भग्ने विकर्णे च सपादरक्षे ॥
गाण्डीवमुक्तैर् विशिखैः प्रणुन्नास्; ते योधमुख्याः सहसापजग्मुः ॥
दृष्ट्वैव बाणेन हतं तु नागं; योधांश् च सर्वान् द्रवतो निशम्य ॥
रथं समावृत्य कुरुप्रवीरो; रणात् प्रदुद्राव यतो न पार्थः ॥
तं भीमरूपं त्वरितं द्रवन्तं; दुर्योधनं शत्रुसहो निषङ्गी ॥
प्राक्ष्वेडयद् योद्धुमनाः किरीटी; बाणेन विद्धं रुधिरं वमन्तम् ॥
tataḥ prabhinnena mahāgajena; mahīdharābhena punar vikarṇaḥ ||
rathaiś caturbhir gajapādarakṣaiḥ; kuntīsutaṃ jiṣṇum athābhyadhāvat ||
tam āpatantaṃ tvaritaṃ gajendraṃ; dhanaṃjayaḥ kumbhavibhāgamadhye ||
ākarṇapūrṇena dṛḍhāyasena; bāṇena vivyādha mahājavena ||
pārthena sṛṣṭaḥ sa tu gārdhrapatra; ā puṅkhadeśāt praviveśa nāgam ||
vidārya śailapravaraprakāśaṃ; yathāśaniḥ parvatam indrasṛṣṭaḥ ||
śaraprataptaḥ sa tu nāgarājaḥ; pravepitāṅgo vyathitāntarātmā ||
saṃsīdamāno nipapāta mahyāṃ; vajrāhataṃ śṛṅgam ivācalasya ||
nipātite dantivare pṛthivyāṃ; trāsād vikarṇaḥ sahasāvatīrya ||
tūrṇaṃ padāny aṣṭaśatāni gatvā; viviṃśateḥ syandanam āruroha ||
nihatya nāgaṃ tu śareṇa tena; vajropamenādrivarāmbudābham ||
tathāvidhenaiva śareṇa pārtho; duryodhanaṃ vakṣasi nirbibheda ||
tato gaje rājani caiva bhinne; bhagne vikarṇe ca sapādarakṣe ||
gāṇḍīvamuktair viśikhaiḥ praṇunnās; te yodhamukhyāḥ sahasāpajagmuḥ ||
dṛṣṭvaiva bāṇena hataṃ tu nāgaṃ; yodhāṃś ca sarvān dravato niśamya ||
rathaṃ samāvṛtya kurupravīro; raṇāt pradudrāva yato na pārthaḥ ||
taṃ bhīmarūpaṃ tvaritaṃ dravantaṃ; duryodhanaṃ śatrusaho niṣaṅgī ||
prākṣveḍayad yoddhumanāḥ kirīṭī; bāṇena viddhaṃ rudhiraṃ vamantam ||
Then Vikarna once more charged at Jishnu upon a maddened great elephant like a mountain; four chariots guarded the elephant's feet. Dhananjaya, drawing his bowstring to the ear, sent a strong iron arrow straight between the temples of the lord of elephants. Partha's arrow, feathered with vulture plumes, entered the elephant up to its feathering, as a thunderbolt loosed by Indra enters a mountain. Tormented by the arrow, the king of elephants trembled in every limb, shuddered within, sank down, and fell to the ground like a mountain peak struck by the vajra. When the finest of elephants had crashed down, Vikarna, in terror, swiftly leapt off, went eight hundred paces, and climbed onto Vivimshati's chariot. Having slain the elephant with that thunderbolt-like arrow, Partha pierced Duryodhana's chest with an arrow of the same kind. When the elephant and the king had both been wounded, and Vikarna with his guard had been broken, the chief warriors, driven by the shafts loosed from the Gandiva, suddenly fled. Seeing the elephant slain by a single arrow, and hearing that all the warriors were fleeing, the best of the Kurus turned his chariot and ran from the battle to where Partha was not. Then Kiritin, the vanquisher of foes with quiver at his side, eager to fight, mockingly hailed the terrible-looking Duryodhana, who was fleeing in haste, pierced by an arrow and vomiting blood.'
2216cae14bb3 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:42:56 PM UTC
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Here it is not only Vikarna's elephant that collapses. The image of Duryodhana as an unshakable lord collapses with it: he searches for a place where Partha is not.