Shloka 21
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
व्यूह्म व्यूहं महाराज सर्वतो भद्रमृद्धिमत् प्रत्युद्ययौ रणे पार्थान् मद्रराज: प्रतापवान्
sañjaya uvāca |
vyūhya vyūhaṁ mahārāja sarvato-bhadram ṛddhimat |
pratyudyayau raṇe pārthān madrarājaḥ pratāpavān ||
mahārāja! tadā pratāpī mahārathī madrarājaḥ śalyaḥ tān yoddhān āśvāsya samṛddhiśālinaṁ sarvato-bhadranāmakaṁ vyūhaṁ kṛtvā bhāranāśakaḥ atyanta-vegāś ca vicitra-dhanuḥ kampayan sindhī-ghoḍaiḥ yukta-śreṣṭha-rathārūḍhaḥ pāṇḍavān abhyakrāmat |
Sañjaya sprach: O König, der tapfere Herrscher von Madra, Śalya, ordnete seine Heere in der glückverheißenden, wohlgeordneten Schlachtformation namens „Sarvatobhadra“ und rückte im Kampf vor, um den Söhnen Pāṇḍus zu begegnen. Dann bestieg jener mächtige Wagenkrieger, nachdem er seine Kämpfer ermutigt hatte, seinen vortrefflichen, mit Sindhī-Pferden bespannten Streitwagen und, den wunderbaren Bogen mit großer Schnelligkeit erzittern lassend, eröffnete er den Angriff auf die Pāṇḍavas—und trieb den Krieg durch strenge Ordnung und kriegerischen Entschluss voran.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya leadership in war: a commander must organize troops into a coherent formation, strengthen morale, and act decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s focus on disciplined action and responsibility in one’s role, even amid the tragic inevitability of battle.
Sanjaya reports to the king that Śalya, the Madra ruler and a great chariot-warrior, arranges his army into the Sarvatobhadra formation, encourages his warriors, mounts a chariot drawn by Sindhī horses, brandishes his bow, and advances to attack the Pāṇḍavas.