Shloka 84
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
हाहाकारो महानासीत् पुत्राणां ते विशाम्पते । दृष्टवा शक्ति महाघोरां मृत्योर्दण्डसमप्रभाम्
sañjaya uvāca | hāhākāro mahān āsīt putrāṇāṃ te viśāmpate | dṛṣṭvā śaktiṃ mahāghorāṃ mṛtyor daṇḍa-samaprabhām ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, a great cry arose among your sons when they beheld that exceedingly dreadful spear, blazing like the very staff of Death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: when lethal power manifests, even proud warriors are confronted with the reality of death. It highlights how violence inevitably produces fear and lament, reminding rulers of the consequences that fall upon their own people.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a tremendous cry arose among the Kaurava princes as they saw a terrifying spear-like weapon, radiant like Death’s punitive staff, indicating a moment of panic and foreboding on the battlefield.