एवम् उक्तस् ततः पार्थः केशवेन महात्मना ॥
भगदत्तं शितैर् बाणैः सहसा समवाकिरत् ॥
ततः पार्थो महाबाहुर् असंभ्रान्तो महामनाः ॥
कुम्भयोर् अन्तरे नागं नाराचेन समार्पयत् ॥
समासाद्य तु तं नागं बाणो वज्र इवाचलम् ॥
अभ्यगात् सह पुङ्खेन वल्मीकम् इव पन्नगः ॥
स तु विष्टभ्य गात्राणि दन्ताभ्याम् अवनिं ययौ ॥
नदन्न् आर्तस्वरं प्राणान् उत्ससर्ज महाद्विपः ॥
evam uktas tataḥ pārthaḥ keśavena mahātmanā ||
bhagadattaṃ śitair bāṇaiḥ sahasā samavākirat ||
tataḥ pārtho mahābāhur asaṃbhrānto mahāmanāḥ ||
kumbhayor antare nāgaṃ nārācena samārpayat ||
samāsādya tu taṃ nāgaṃ bāṇo vajra ivācalam ||
abhyagāt saha puṅkhena valmīkam iva pannagaḥ ||
sa tu viṣṭabhya gātrāṇi dantābhyām avaniṃ yayau ||
nadann ārtasvaraṃ prāṇān utsasarja mahādvipaḥ ||
Having heard this from the great-souled Keshava, Partha at once showered Bhagadatta with sharp arrows. The mighty-armed Partha, unperturbed and noble, struck the elephant with a naracha arrow between the frontal lobes. Reaching that elephant, the arrow, like a thunderbolt striking a mountain, pierced in up to the very feathers, like a serpent entering an anthill. The huge elephant, straining its limbs, sank down to the ground upon both tusks and, trumpeting a cry of anguish, gave up its life.
efa89aa5f7f4 · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 3:11:21 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The arrow enters the elephant 'up to the very feathers, like a serpent into an anthill' — an image in which the force of the blow is conveyed through the quiet, inexorable picture of a serpent gliding in. Arjuna's composure ('asaṃbhrānta') at the decisive moment is a sign that the great deed is done without haste, in complete self-mastery. It is significant that the narrative gives the elephant's death as much mournful attention as the deaths of warriors: the huge beast trumpets 'a cry of anguish' as it gives up its life. The verse teaches that the mightiest blow is struck not in a frenzy but in the calm of a gathered spirit; that the suffering of a dumb creature in war deserves no less grief than a human's; and that the narrative, mourning the elephant too, shows a breadth of compassion that does not divide pain into 'important' and 'insignificant' — for every fading life calls out for pity.