Shloka 14
महोदधिमिवापूर्णमापगाभि: समन्ततः । अपक्षै: पक्षिसंकाशै रथैनगिश्व संवृतम्
mahodadhim ivāpūrṇam āpagābhiḥ samantataḥ | apakṣaiḥ pakṣi-saṅkāśaiḥ rathair nāgaiś ca saṃvṛtam ||
Sañjaya said: “It looked like a vast ocean filled to the brim, fed on every side by great rivers—encircled by chariots and elephants, and by wingless creatures that resembled birds.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it teaches through imagery how war swells beyond individual control, becoming an engulfing ‘ocean’ of forces. Ethically, it underscores the gravity of entering conflict—once armies mass and surround, the situation can feel inescapable and overwhelming.
Sanjaya is narrating the battlefield scene to Dhritarashtra, portraying the assembled forces as immense and all-encompassing. Chariots and elephants form a surrounding mass, compared to an ocean filled by rivers from every side.