Shloka 25
Adhyāya 78 — Bhīṣma’s Advance, Duryodhana’s Rally, and Concurrent Duels (भीष्मस्याभ्युद्यमः, दुर्योधनस्योत्साहवचनम्, विविधयुद्धवर्णनम्)
सादिनश्न हयान् राजन् रथिनश्न महारणे । हस्त्यारोहान् हयारोहा रथिन: सादिनस्तथा,राजन! उस महायुद्धमें घुड़सवार योद्धा घुड़सवारों तथा रथियोंपर भी चढ़ दौड़े । इसी प्रकार अश्वारोही हाथीसवारों तथा रथियोंपर भी टूट पड़े
sādināś ca hayān rājan rathināś ca mahāraṇe | hastyārohān hayārohā rathinaḥ sādinās tathā ||
Sañjaya said: O King, in that great battle the cavalry charged upon other horsemen and even upon chariot-warriors. Likewise, the horse-mounted fighters fell upon elephant-riders and charioteers, while the chariot-warriors and the foot-soldiers also pressed their assaults in turn. Thus the fight became a close, intermingled melee where each arm of the army struck at the others without pause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how war collapses neat divisions of arms into a confused melee, implying the moral gravity and uncontrollable momentum of violence once battle is joined.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the different divisions—infantry, cavalry, charioteers, and elephant-riders—are charging and counter-charging each other in the great fight, with horsemen attacking horsemen, elephant-riders, and chariot-warriors, and the other arms responding in kind.