भीमसेनस् तु संक्रुद्धः पादरक्षान् परःशतान् ॥
निजघान महेष्वासः संक्रुद्धः शरवृष्टिभिः ॥
तान् दृष्ट्वा निहतान् क्रुद्धो भगदत्तः प्रतापवान् ॥
चोदयाम् आस नागेन्द्रं भीमसेनरथं प्रति ॥
स नागः प्रेषितस् तेन बाणो ज्याचोदितो यथा ॥
अभ्यधावत वेगेन भीमसेनम् अरिंदमम् ॥
तम् आपतन्तं संप्रेक्ष्य पाण्डवानां महारथाः ॥
अभ्यवर्तन्त वेगेन भीमसेनपुरोगमाः ॥
केकयाश् चाभिमन्युश् च द्रौपदेयाश् च सर्वशः ॥
दशार्णाधिपतिः शूरः क्षत्रदेवश् च मारिष ॥
चेदिपश् चित्रकेतुश् च संक्रुद्धाः सर्व एव ते ॥
उत्तमास्त्राणि दिव्यानि दर्शयन्तो महाबलाः ॥
तम् एकं कुञ्जरं क्रुद्धाः समन्तात् पर्यवारयन् ॥
स विद्धो बहुभिर् बाणैर् व्यरोचत महाद्विपः ॥
संजातरुधिरोत्पीडो धातुचित्र इवाद्रिराट् ॥
दशार्णाधिपतिश् चापि गजं भूमिधरोपमम् ॥
समास्थितो ऽभिदुद्राव भगदत्तस्य वारणम् ॥
तम् आपतन्तं समरे गजं गजपतिः स च ॥
दधार सुप्रतीको ऽपि वेलेव मकरालयम् ॥
वारितं प्रेक्ष्य नागेन्द्रं दशार्णस्य महात्मनः ॥
साधु साध्व् इति सैन्यानि पाण्डवेयान्य् अपूजयन् ॥
ततः प्राग्ज्योतिषः क्रुद्धस् तोमरान् वै चतुर्दश ॥
प्राहिणोत् तस्य नागस्य प्रमुखे नृपसत्तम ॥
तस्य वर्म मुखत्राणं शातकुम्भपरिष्कृतम् ॥
विदार्य प्राविशन् क्षिप्रं वल्मीकम् इव पन्नगाः ॥
स गाढविद्धो व्यथितो नागो भरतसत्तम ॥
उपावृत्तमदः क्षिप्रं स न्यवर्तत वेगतः ॥
प्रदुद्राव च वेगेन प्रणदन् भैरवं स्वनम् ॥
स मर्दमानः स्वबलं वायुर् वृक्षान् इवौजसा ॥
तस्मिन् पराजिते नागे पाण्डवानां महारथाः ॥
सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैर् युद्धायैवोपतस्थिरे ॥
ततो भीमं पुरस्कृत्य भगदत्तम् उपाद्रवन् ॥
किरन्तो विविधान् बाणाञ् शस्त्राणि विविधानि च ॥
तेषाम् आपततां राजन् संक्रुद्धानाम् अमर्षिणाम् ॥
श्रुत्वा स निनदं घोरम् अमर्षाद् गतसाध्वसः ॥
भगदत्तो महेष्वासः स्वनागं प्रत्यचोदयत् ॥
अङ्कुशाङ्गुष्ठनुदितः स गजप्रवरो युधि ॥
तस्मिन् क्षणे समभवत् संवर्तक इवानलः ॥
रथसंघांस् तथा नागान् हयांश् च सह सादिभिः ॥
पादातांश् च सुसंक्रुद्धः शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः ॥
अमृद्नात् समरे राजन् संप्रधावंस् ततस् ततः ॥
तेन संलोड्यमानं तु पाण्डूनां तद् बलं महत् ॥
संचुकोच महाराज चर्मेवाग्नौ समाहितम् ॥
bhīmasenas tu saṃkruddhaḥ pādarakṣān paraḥśatān ||
nijaghāna maheṣvāsaḥ saṃkruddhaḥ śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
tān dṛṣṭvā nihatān kruddho bhagadattaḥ pratāpavān ||
codayām āsa nāgendraṃ bhīmasenarathaṃ prati ||
sa nāgaḥ preṣitas tena bāṇo jyācodito yathā ||
abhyadhāvata vegena bhīmasenam ariṃdamam ||
tam āpatantaṃ saṃprekṣya pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
abhyavartanta vegena bhīmasenapurogamāḥ ||
kekayāś cābhimanyuś ca draupadeyāś ca sarvaśaḥ ||
daśārṇādhipatiḥ śūraḥ kṣatradevaś ca māriṣa ||
cedipaś citraketuś ca saṃkruddhāḥ sarva eva te ||
uttamāstrāṇi divyāni darśayanto mahābalāḥ ||
tam ekaṃ kuñjaraṃ kruddhāḥ samantāt paryavārayan ||
sa viddho bahubhir bāṇair vyarocata mahādvipaḥ ||
saṃjātarudhirotpīḍo dhātucitra ivādrirāṭ ||
daśārṇādhipatiś cāpi gajaṃ bhūmidharopamam ||
samāsthito 'bhidudrāva bhagadattasya vāraṇam ||
tam āpatantaṃ samare gajaṃ gajapatiḥ sa ca ||
dadhāra supratīko 'pi veleva makarālayam ||
vāritaṃ prekṣya nāgendraṃ daśārṇasya mahātmanaḥ ||
sādhu sādhv iti sainyāni pāṇḍaveyāny apūjayan ||
tataḥ prāgjyotiṣaḥ kruddhas tomarān vai caturdaśa ||
prāhiṇot tasya nāgasya pramukhe nṛpasattama ||
tasya varma mukhatrāṇaṃ śātakumbhapariṣkṛtam ||
vidārya prāviśan kṣipraṃ valmīkam iva pannagāḥ ||
sa gāḍhaviddho vyathito nāgo bharatasattama ||
upāvṛttamadaḥ kṣipraṃ sa nyavartata vegataḥ ||
pradudrāva ca vegena praṇadan bhairavaṃ svanam ||
sa mardamānaḥ svabalaṃ vāyur vṛkṣān ivaujasā ||
tasmin parājite nāge pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
siṃhanādaṃ vinadyoccair yuddhāyaivopatasthire ||
tato bhīmaṃ puraskṛtya bhagadattam upādravan ||
kiranto vividhān bāṇāñ śastrāṇi vividhāni ca ||
teṣām āpatatāṃ rājan saṃkruddhānām amarṣiṇām ||
śrutvā sa ninadaṃ ghoram amarṣād gatasādhvasaḥ ||
bhagadatto maheṣvāsaḥ svanāgaṃ pratyacodayat ||
aṅkuśāṅguṣṭhanuditaḥ sa gajapravaro yudhi ||
tasmin kṣaṇe samabhavat saṃvartaka ivānalaḥ ||
rathasaṃghāṃs tathā nāgān hayāṃś ca saha sādibhiḥ ||
pādātāṃś ca susaṃkruddhaḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
amṛdnāt samare rājan saṃpradhāvaṃs tatas tataḥ ||
tena saṃloḍyamānaṃ tu pāṇḍūnāṃ tad balaṃ mahat ||
saṃcukoca mahārāja carmevāgnau samāhitam ||
Bhimasena, the great archer, enraged, slew many hundreds of Bhagadatta's foot-guards with showers of arrows. Seeing them slain, the valiant Bhagadatta, in his fury, drove the king of elephants toward Bhimasena's chariot. The elephant, sent forth by him, rushed at Bhimasena, subduer of foes, with the speed of an arrow loosed from a bowstring. Seeing his charge, the mahārathas of the Pandavas, with Bhimasena at their head, swiftly moved to meet him: the Kekayas, Abhimanyu, all the sons of Draupadi, the heroic lord of Dasharna, Kshatradeva, the venerable one, and Chitraketu, king of Chedi — all of them enraged. Mighty warriors, displaying their finest divine astras, they surrounded this one elephant on every side. Pierced by a multitude of arrows, the great elephant shone, streaming with rivulets of blood, like the king of mountains streaked with ores. The lord of Dasharna too, mounted upon an elephant like a mountain, charged at Bhagadatta's elephant. But Supratika, the lord of elephants, withstood the charging elephant in battle, as the shore withstands the ocean. Seeing the elephant of the noble king of Dasharna checked, the armies of the Pandavas praised him, crying, "Well done! Well done!" Then the enraged king of Pragjyotisha hurled fourteen tomaras at the face of that elephant, O best of kings. Piercing through its armor and its golden face-guard, they swiftly plunged in, like serpents into an anthill. The elephant, heavily wounded and tormented, O best of the Bharatas, its must now spent, swiftly turned back and rushed away, bellowing a terrible roar, trampling its own army as the wind uproots trees with its force. When this elephant was defeated, the mahārathas of the Pandavas roared loudly like lions and took their stand for battle once more. Placing Bhima at their head, they charged at Bhagadatta, showering various arrows and diverse weapons. Hearing the terrible din of their charge, furious and unyielding, Bhagadatta, the great archer, casting off fear in his wrath, drove his elephant forward once again. Urged on by the goad and the heel, this excellent elephant became in that instant like the fire that consumes the world at its end. Greatly enraged, rushing here and there, he trampled in battle, by the hundreds and thousands, masses of chariots, elephants, horses with their riders, and foot soldiers, O king. The great army of the Pandavas, crushed by him, shrank back, great king, like a hide placed in the fire.
483371903223 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:47:11 PM UTC
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Supratika becomes a force of battle in his own right: not merely Bhagadatta's mount, but a moving elemental power before which an entire army shrinks. The Pandavas answer with a combined assault, but for now their courage meets a might that exceeds the ordinary human measure.