Shloka 28
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
गजे गजे सप्त कृताः प्रदीपा रथे रथे चैव दश प्रदीपा: । द्वावश्वपषछ्े परिपार्श्वतो 5न्ये ध्वजेषु चान्ये जघनेघु चान्ये,उनके एक-एक हाथीके लिये सात-सात और एक-एक रथके लिये दस-दस प्रदीपोंकी व्यवस्था की गयी। घोड़ोंके पृष्ठभागमें दो प्रदीप थे। अगल-बगलमें, ध्वजाओंके समीप तथा रथके पिछले भागोंमें अन्यान्य दीपकोंकी व्यवस्था की गयी थी
sañjaya uvāca |
gaje gaje sapta kṛtāḥ pradīpā rathe rathe caiva daśa pradīpāḥ |
dvāv aśvapṛṣṭhe paripārśvato 'nye dhvajeṣu cānye jaghaneṣu cānye ||
Sañjaya said: For each elephant, seven lamps were arranged, and for each chariot, ten lamps. Two lamps were fixed upon the horses’ backs; other lamps were set along the sides, near the standards (flags), and others again at the rear of the chariots. Thus the army’s movement and formations were made visible even amid the darkness of war—an outward order imposed upon an inwardly perilous night of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical discipline in war: even amid chaos and darkness, leaders impose order through preparation. Ethically, it underscores the grim reality that human ingenuity can be used to sustain violence as efficiently as it sustains protection—inviting reflection on how skill (kauśala) serves the ends chosen by those in power.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield arrangements for night operations: lamps are distributed in fixed numbers on elephants and chariots, with additional lights on horses, along the sides, near the flags, and at the rear—so units can be seen, identified, and coordinated in the darkness.