Shloka 86
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
ततो दन्तिसहस्राणि रथानां चापि मारिष | अश्वौघा: पुरुषौघाश्व विपरीतं समाययु:,आर्य! तदनन्तर हजारों हाथी, रथ, घुड़सवार और पैदल सैनिक द्वन्द-युद्धके पूर्वोक्त क्रमका उल्लंघन करके सभी सबके साथ युद्ध करने लगे
tato dantisahasrāṇi rathānāṃ cāpi māriṣa | aśvaughāḥ puruṣaughāś ca viparītaṃ samāyayuḥ, ārya |
Sañjaya sprach: Dann, o Ehrwürdiger, stürmten Tausende von Elefanten und Streitwagen, dazu Scharen von Reitern und Scharen von Fußsoldaten, die frühere Ordnung der Einzelkämpfe verlassend, in verworrener, widerläufiger Weise zusammen—sodass alle gegen alle kämpften.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly agreed rules of combat can collapse under the pressure of war: when order and restraint fail, violence becomes indiscriminate. It implicitly contrasts dharma-based, regulated fighting with the ethical danger of chaotic, all-against-all slaughter.
Sañjaya reports that large formations—elephants, chariots, cavalry, and infantry—converge and begin fighting in a mixed, disorderly way, violating the previously described sequence or arrangement of duels and ranks.