Shloka 7
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
विन्दानुविन्दावावन्त्यौ काम्बोजाश्व शकैः सह । पुच्छमासन् महाराज शूरसेनाश्व सर्वश:
sañjaya uvāca | vindānuvindāv āvantyau kāmbojāś ca śakaiḥ saha | puccham āsan mahārāja śūrasenāś ca sarvaśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O great king, Vindā and Anuvindā of Avanti, along with the Kāmbojas and the Śakas, and likewise the Śūrasenas in full strength, were stationed at the rear—the tail-end—of that vast battle formation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined organization and the binding force of alliances in war. Ethically, it frames how collective choices and loyalties place groups within the larger struggle where dharma and adharma contend—strategy becomes a vehicle through which moral consequences unfold.
Sañjaya is describing the deployment of forces in a major battle formation. Vindā and Anuvindā of Avanti, together with the Kāmbojas, Śakas, and the Śūrasenas, are positioned at the rear (the 'tail') of the formation.