Shloka 723
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
पज्चालैर्मानसादेत्य हंसैर्गड़ेव वेगितै: । “जैसे वेगशाली हंस मानसरोवरसे निकलकर गंगाजीपर सब ओरसे छा जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार पांचाल-सैनिकोंद्वारा दुर्योधनकी यह विशाल सेना चारों ओरसे आक्रान्त हो रही है
Pañcālair mānasād etya haṃsair gaṅgeva vegitaiḥ | yathā vegāś ca haṃsā mānasarovarān nirgatyā gaṅgāyāṃ sarvataḥ chādayanti, tathā pañcāla-sainikaiḥ duryodhanasya eṣā viśālā senā sarvataḥ ākrāntā bhavati |
Sañjaya sprach: „Wie schnelle Schwäne, die aus dem See Mānasarovara auffliegen und den Gaṅgā von allen Seiten überziehen, so drängen die Pāñcāla-Krieger von überall heran, umzingeln und überwältigen Duryodhanas gewaltiges Heer.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer size and prideful confidence do not guarantee security in war; when strategy, unity, and moral resolve align, an apparently stronger force can be encircled and destabilized. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven leadership invites reversal and vulnerability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pañcāla troops are rapidly closing in from all directions upon Duryodhana’s large army. He illustrates their swift, spreading advance through a vivid simile of fast swans streaming from Mānasarovara and covering the Gaṅgā.