Shloka 29
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय २: संजयस्य दिव्यदृष्टिप्रदानम् तथा निमित्तवर्णनम्
Granting Sañjaya Divine Sight and the Description of Omens
गृहीतशस्त्रा: क्रोशन्ति चर्मिणो वाजिपृष्ठगा: । अरुणोदये प्रदृश्यन्ते शतश: शलभव्रजा:,'घोड़ेकी पीठपर बैठे हुए सवार हाथोंमें ढाल-तलवार लिये चीत्कार कर रहे हैं। अरुणोदयके समय टिड्डियोंके सैकड़ों दल सब ओर फैले दिखायी देते हैं
gṛhītaśastrāḥ krośanti carmiṇo vājipṛṣṭhagāḥ | aruṇodaye pradṛśyante śataśaḥ śalabhavrajāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Armed with their weapons, the shield-bearing riders mounted on horses cry out loudly. At the reddening of dawn they appear spread everywhere in hundreds—like swarms of locusts—an image of war’s vast, impersonal surge that overwhelms individual restraint and tests dharma amid collective frenzy.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war gathers momentum like a natural swarm: individual voices become part of a mass movement. This imagery invites reflection on dharma under pressure—how easily human agency is swept into collective aggression, and why ethical discernment is crucial even when the crowd surges toward violence.
At dawn on the battlefield, mounted warriors carrying shields and weapons raise loud cries. The narrator compares the sight of the many riders spreading across the field to swarms of locusts visible at sunrise, emphasizing the scale and ominous intensity of the approaching conflict.