Shloka 49
Saṃśaptakas in Candrārdha-vyūha; Arjuna’s Devadatta and the Traigarta Rout
Chapter 17
ततोडचन्योन्येन ते सैन्ये समाजग्मतुरोजसा । गड्भासरय्वौ वेगेन प्रावषीवोल्बणोदके,तत्पश्चात् दोनों सेनाएँ बड़े वेगसे परस्पर भिड़ गयीं, मानो वर्षा-ऋतुमें जलसे लबालब भरी हुई गंगा और सरयू वेगपूर्वक आपसमें मिल रही हों
tato 'nyonyena te sainye samājagmaturojasā | gaṅgā-sarayvau vegena prāvṛṣīvolbaṇodake ||
Sañjaya said: Then the two armies, driven by sheer force, rushed together and collided with one another—like the Gaṅgā and the Sarayū, swollen with the torrential waters of the rainy season, surging forward to meet in a violent confluence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a reflective image rather than a direct moral injunction: once collective aggression is unleashed, events can gather a force like monsoon-swollen rivers, making restraint difficult. Ethically, it hints at the danger of allowing conflict to reach a point where momentum overrides deliberation and dharmic choice.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield moment when the two sides surge forward and crash into each other with great speed and power. He compares their collision to the Gaṅgā and Sarayū meeting in the rainy season when both are full and fast.