Shloka 676
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
योधा: पर्यपतन् राजन् शतशो5थ सहसख्रश: | राजन! शूरवीरोंके उस संघर्षमें सब ओरसे सैकड़ों-हजारों योद्धा टूट पड़े और वे एक- दूसरेकी और देखने लगे
yodhāḥ paryapatan rājan śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: O König, in jenem Zusammenprall der Helden drängten Krieger von allen Seiten heran—zu Hunderten und zu Tausenden—rückten dicht aufeinander zu und hefteten den Blick auf ihre Gegner, während sich die Schlacht zur unmittelbaren Konfrontation verdichtete.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming momentum of war: once collective violence is unleashed, individuals are swept into mass confrontation. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a space where human agency is pressured by numbers, fury, and the immediacy of facing an opponent—highlighting the tragic escalation that dharma seeks to restrain.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, amid the heroes’ struggle, warriors charged in from all directions in vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—closing ranks and turning toward one another for direct engagement.