Shloka 5
Bhīmasena–Drauṇi Mahāyuddha
Chariot Duel and Astra-Exchange
कल्प्यतां नागमुख्यानां रथानां च वरूथिनाम् | संनहातां नराणां च वाजिनां च विशाम्पते
sañjaya uvāca | kalpyatāṃ nāgamukhyānāṃ rathānāṃ ca varūthinām | saṃnahātāṃ narāṇāṃ ca vājīnāṃ ca viśāmpate prajānātha |
Sañjaya sprach: „O Herr des Volkes, die Vorbereitungen wurden getroffen—die vornehmsten Elefanten, die mit Schutzvorrichtungen versehenen Wagen, die Männer in voller Rüstung und die Pferde, die man anschirrte. Das Getöse der Heeresbereitschaft und die Zurufe der Krieger stiegen empor und hallten hoch in den Himmel.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: once vast forces are fully prepared—elephants, chariots, armed men, and horses—the conflict gains an almost irreversible momentum. It implicitly reminds the ruler (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) that decisions leading to war carry responsibility for the suffering that follows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the armies are being readied in full scale—major war-elephants, protected chariots, armored warriors, and harnessed horses—creating a great tumult that echoes upward, marking the immediate onset of battle activity in the Karṇa Parva.