Shloka 12

द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः

Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array

Devanagari script

आत्मन: प्रतिरूपैस्तैर्नानारूपैरविमोहिता: । अन्योन्येनार्जुनं मत्वा स्वमात्मानं च जध्निरे,अपने ही समान आकृतिवाले उन नाना रूपोंसे मोहित हो वे एक-दूसरेको अर्जुन मानकर अपने तथा अपने ही सैनिकोंपर प्रहार करने लगे

Transliteration

ātmanaḥ pratirūpais tair nānārūpair avimohitāḥ | anyonyenārjunaṁ matvā svam ātmānaṁ ca jadhnire ||

Translation

قال سانجيا: وقد أذهلتهم تلك الهيئات الكثيرة الشبيهة بأرجونا نفسه، فحسب بعضُهم بعضاً أرجونا، وفي ذلك الوهم ضربوا رجالهم—بل أهلكوا أنفسهم أيضاً. وتُبرز الحادثة كيف أن الاضطراب وسوء الإدراك في الحرب قد يردّ العنف إلى الداخل، فيُسقط التمييز (viveka) ويُوهي عُرى الولاء والواجب التي تقوم عليها الجيوش.

Word by Word

आत्मनःof oneself

प्रतिरूपैःby look-alikes / by counterparts

तैःby those

नाना-रूपैःby various forms

अविमोहिताःnot deluded / unconfused

अन्योन्येनby one another / mutually

अर्जुनम्Arjuna

मत्वाhaving thought / considering

स्वम्one's own

आत्मानम्self

चand

जध्निरेthey struck/killed (each other/ themselves)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When discernment is lost through moha (delusion), even trained warriors misread reality and turn violence upon their own side and themselves. The verse highlights the ethical and practical catastrophe that follows from भ्रम (misperception): dharma in action depends on clear recognition of who and what one is acting upon.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield confusion where many look-alike forms resembling Arjuna appear. The opposing warriors, unable to distinguish correctly, assume each other to be Arjuna and begin attacking indiscriminately—harming their own troops and even themselves amid the chaos.