Shloka 84
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
दीर्यते च महत् सैन्यं सृजजयानां महारणे
dīryate ca mahat sainyaṃ sṛñjayānāṃ mahāraṇe | tatra hastī-raśmi-cihna-yuktaḥ prājñaḥ karṇasya dhvajo dṛśyate | sa rājñāṃ senā-madhye sānandaṃ vicarati ||
মহাসমরে সৃঞ্জয়দের বিশাল সেনাও বিদীর্ণ হয়ে যাচ্ছে। হে কৃষ্ণ! হাতির দড়ির চিহ্নাঙ্কিত প্রাজ্ঞ কর্ণের ধ্বজ দেখা যাচ্ছে; সে রাজাদের সেনাদলের মধ্যে হর্ষভরে বিচরণ করছে।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how swiftly the balance of war can turn: even a vast, dharma-aligned host can be shattered when confronted by concentrated prowess. Ethically, it highlights the tragic cost of kṣatriya warfare—valor and exultation coexist with the disintegration of armies and the looming suffering that follows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Sṛñjaya forces are being ripped apart in the great battle. He points out Karṇa’s banner—distinguished by an elephant-tether-rope emblem—moving exultantly among the armies of kings, indicating Karṇa’s aggressive advance and battlefield dominance at that moment.