Shloka 30
छत्राणि च महाहाणि पताकाश्न विशाम्पते । हयौघाश्र रथौघाक्ष नरौघाश्रैव भारत,जिघांसन्तं युधां श्रेष्ठ तदा55सीत् तुमुलं महत् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! पाण्डवपक्षके लाखों क्षत्रियशिरोमणि महारथी विराट सेनापति शूरवीर श्वेतको आगे करके आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको अपना बल दिखाते हुए शिखण्डीको सामने रखकर भीष्मके सुवर्णभूषित रथपर चढ़ आये। भारत! वे महारथी श्लेतकी रक्षा करना चाहते थे। इसलिये उसे मारनेकी इच्छावाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मपर उन्होंने धावा किया। उस समय बड़ा भयंकर युद्ध छिड़ गया
sañjaya uvāca | chatrāṇi ca mahāhāṇi patākāś ca viśāmpate | hayaughāś ca rathaughāś ca naraughāś caiva bhārata | jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of men, there were great umbrellas and banners everywhere; and there surged masses of horses, masses of chariots, and masses of warriors, O Bhārata. When the foremost of fighters, Bhīṣma, was being assailed by those intent on killing him, a vast and tumultuous battle arose at that time. The scene shows how, in war, even the greatest are drawn into a storm of collective resolve—where protection of one’s own and the drive to strike down the enemy collide in a single, deafening clash.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity and inevitability of escalation in war: once collective intent fixes on destroying a key opponent, the conflict becomes a sweeping, impersonal storm (tumulaṃ mahat), where symbols of royalty and order (parasols, banners) stand amid mass violence—inviting reflection on kṣatriya-duty and the cost of pursuing victory.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield swelling with visible insignia (parasols, banners) and dense formations of horses, chariots, and infantry. At this moment, warriors converge with the intent to kill the foremost fighter (contextually Bhīṣma), and the fighting erupts into a great, chaotic clash.