Shloka 8
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
द्रोणचापविमुक्तेन शरौघेणाशुहारिणा । सिन्धोरिव महौघेन हियमाणान् यथा प्लवान्,संजयने कहा--महाराज! कौरवोंने देखा कि पांचाल, पाण्डव, मत्स्य, सूंजय, चेदि और केकय-देशीय योद्धा युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो विचलित हो उठे हैं तथा जैसे समुद्रकी महान् जलराशि बहुत-से नावोंको बहा ले जाती है, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यके धनुषसे छूटकर शीघ्र ही प्राण हर लेनेवाले बाण-समुदायने पाण्डव-सैनिकोंको मार भगाया है। तब वे सिंहनाद एवं नाना प्रकारके रण-वाद्योंका गम्भीर घोष करते हुए शत्रुओंके रथारोहियों, हाथीसवारों तथा पैदल सैनिकोंको सब ओरसे रोकने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | droṇacāpavimuktena śaraughenāśuhāriṇā | sindhor iva mahaughena hriyamāṇān yathā plavān |
Sañjaya said: “O King, the mass of arrows released from Droṇa’s bow—swift and life-taking—drove the opposing host into flight. Just as a mighty surge of the ocean carries away many boats, so did that torrent of shafts sweep away the warriors before him.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming force of disciplined martial skill when wielded by a master like Droṇa, while implicitly reminding the listener that in war even great hosts can be swept away like fragile boats—highlighting the grave, irreversible consequences of armed conflict within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa’s rapid, deadly volleys of arrows rout the opposing warriors; the scene is framed through a vivid comparison to a mighty ocean-surge carrying off boats.