Shloka 59
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
ते कृत्वा समरव्यूहं सूचीमुखमरिंदमा: । बिभिदुर्धार्तराष्ट्राणां तद् रथानीकमाहवे,अभिमन्युको आगे करके विशाल सेनासे घिरे हुए पाँच केकयराजकुमार, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र और पराक्रमी धृष्टकेतु--ये शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले शूरवीर सूचीमुख नामक समरव्यूह बनाकर आपके पुत्रोंकी उस सेनाको रणक्षेत्रमें विदीर्ण करने लगे
te kṛtvā samaravyūhaṃ sūcīmukham ariṃdamāḥ | bibhidur dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ tad rathānīkam āhave ||
Sañjaya said: Having formed the needle-point battle-array (sūcīmukha), those heroic foe-subduers began to pierce and split apart, in the very midst of battle, that chariot-division of the Dhārtarāṣṭras. The scene shows disciplined strategy joined to valor: a focused formation is used to break a larger force, proving how resolve and order can cut through overwhelming opposition in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in warfare, mere numbers are not decisive: disciplined organization (vyūha) and concentrated effort can pierce a stronger line. Ethically, it reflects the kṣatriya ideal of purposeful, ordered action rather than chaotic violence.
Sañjaya reports that a group of warriors forms the sūcīmukha (needle-point) battle formation and uses it to break into and split the Kauravas’ chariot-division on the battlefield.