Shloka 68
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
भृशं ववौ ज्वलनसखो वियद् रज: समावृणोन्मुहुरपि चैव सैनिकान् । तमेकनागं गणशो यथा गजान् समन्ततो द्रुतमथ मेनिरे जना:,उस समय वहाँ बड़े चोरसे वायु चलने लगी। आकाशगमें धूल छा गयी। उस धूलने समस्त सैनिकोंको ढक दिया। उस समय सब लोग चारों ओर दौड़ लगानेवाले उस एकमात्र हाथीको हाथियोंके झुंड-सा मानने लगे
bhṛśaṃ vavau jvalanasakho viyad rajaḥ samāvṛṇon muhur api caiva sainikān | tam ekanāgaṃ gaṇaśo yathā gajān samantato drutam atha menire janāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: A fierce wind, the companion of fire, began to blow. Dust rose into the sky and again and again enveloped the soldiers. In that blinding haze, people took that single elephant—rushing swiftly in every direction—to be like a whole herd of elephants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the turmoil of war—wind, dust, noise—can cloud judgment so that people misperceive reality, magnifying threats and spreading panic. Ethically, it cautions against decisions made under fear and sensory confusion.
A strong wind raises thick dust that repeatedly covers the armies. Because visibility is lost, the onlookers mistake one fast-moving elephant for a whole herd moving on all sides.