Shloka 16
Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
गते सैन्यार्णवं भित्त्वा तरसा पाण्डवर्षभे । संजयैकरथेनैव युयुधाने च मामकम्,संजय! ऐसे मेरे सैन्यरूपी महासागरका वेगपूर्वक भेदन करके जब पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ सव्यसाची अर्जुन तथा सात्वतवंशी उदार महारथी युयुधान एकमात्र रथकी सहायतासे इसके भीतर घुस गये, तब मैं अपनी सेनाके शेष रहनेकी आशा नहीं देखता हूं
gate sainyārṇavaṁ bhittvā tarasā pāṇḍavarṣabhe | savyasācīrjunenaiva yuyudhānena cāpi me ||
Sañjaya said: “Having swiftly breached my army—like a vast ocean—and forced their way in, the foremost of the Pāṇḍavas, Savyasācī Arjuna, together with the noble Sātvata hero, the great chariot-warrior Yuyudhāna, advancing as if supported by a single chariot alone—once they have entered our formation, I can no longer see any hope that my remaining forces will endure.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral and martial resolve (kṣatriya-dharma) manifests as decisive action: when disciplined heroes break through overwhelming odds, the opposing side’s confidence collapses. Ethically, it underscores the inner dimension of war—fear, hope, and the recognition that adharma-driven power can become fragile when confronted by steadfast duty.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna and Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) have forcefully pierced the Kaurava host—likened to an ocean—and penetrated deep into it, seemingly with the momentum of a single chariot. Observing this breakthrough, he foresees the ruin of the remaining Kaurava forces.