Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 81
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
एवं द्वन्दडसहस्राणि रथवारणवाजिनाम् । पदातीनां च समरे तव तेषां च संकुले,इस प्रकार उस घमासान युद्धमें आपके और पाण्डवपक्षके रथ, हाथी, घोड़े और पैदल सैन्यके सहसोरों योद्धाओंमें द्वन्ध-युद्ध चल रहा था
evaṁ dvandva-sahasrāṇi ratha-vāraṇa-vājinām | padātīnāṁ ca samare tava teṣāṁ ca saṅkule ||
এইভাবে সেই ঘোর সমরে, যেখানে তোমাদের ও তাদের বাহিনী একাকার হয়ে গিয়েছিল, রথী, গজারোহী, অশ্বারোহী ও পদাতিকদের সহস্র সহস্র দ্বন্দ্বযুদ্ধ চলছিল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war collapses order into saṅkula (confusion): even when warriors pursue their perceived duty, the battlefield becomes a moral and practical tangle where countless individual duels erupt, underscoring the grave cost and complexity of kṣatriya-dharma in conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battle has become a dense mêlée: thousands of one-on-one fights are occurring simultaneously among chariot-fighters, elephant troops, cavalry, and infantry from both sides, all intermingled on the field.