Shloka 38
भीष्मसेनासंनिवेशः — Bhīṣma’s Mobilization, Omens, and the Kaurava Array
स रथानीकवान् व्यूहो हस्त्यड्रो नृपशीर्षवान् | वाजिपक्ष: पतत्युग्र: प्रहसन् सर्वतोमुख:
sa rathānīkavān vyūho hastyaṅgo nṛpaśīrṣavān | vājipakṣaḥ pataty ugraḥ prahasan sarvatomukhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: That battle-formation, dense with masses of chariots, was terrifying and faced in all directions. It seemed to surge forward as if in attack, laughing in grim confidence. Elephants formed its limbs, the host of kings was its head, and the horses appeared like its wings.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how organized power and royal pride can take on an almost living, predatory character in war. It implicitly warns that martial brilliance and confidence (symbolized by the ‘laughing’ formation) can intensify violence, reminding readers to weigh kṣatriya duty against the moral cost of aggression.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the appearance of a formidable, all-facing battle formation. He describes its components metaphorically: chariots as its mass, elephants as limbs, kings as the head, and horses as wings, conveying a multi-directional, advancing threat.