Shloka 18
Adhyāya 112: Bhīṣma-prati Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Forward Drive Toward Bhīṣma
यथा पशुगणान् पाल: संकालयति कानने । तथेदं मापकं सैन्यं काल्यते शत्रुतापन
yathā paśugaṇān pālaḥ saṅkālayati kānane | tathedaṃ māpakaṃ sainyaṃ kālyate śatrutāpana ||
Sañjaya said: “O scorcher of foes! Just as a herdsman drives a herd of animals through the forest, so too this vast army of ours is being driven and herded about by Arjuna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how superior skill and resolve can dominate a larger force: numerical strength without cohesion and leadership becomes vulnerable, and a disciplined warrior can ‘drive’ an army as easily as a herdsman drives animals.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s prowess and maneuvering are forcing the Kaurava host to yield ground and move as he compels—likening the army’s movement to a herd being driven through a forest.