Shloka 296
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
द्ैधीभूता महाराज गड़्जेवासाद्य पर्वतम् | महाराज! अर्जुनके द्वारा मारी जाती हुई आपके पुत्रकी विशाल सेना उसी प्रकार दो भागोंमें बट गयी, मानो गंगा किसी विशाल पर्वतके पास पहुँचकर दो धाराओंमें विभक्त हो गयी हों
dvaidhībhūtā mahārāja gaṅgevāsādya parvatam | arjunena hatyamānā tava putrasya viśālā senā tathā dvaidhībhūtā yathā gaṅgā mahāparvata-sannidhau dvayībhūtā dhārā bhavet ||
Sañjaya said: O King, as the Gaṅgā, on reaching a mighty mountain, divides into two streams, so too did your son’s vast army—being cut down by Arjuna—split into two parts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective strength depends on unity, morale, and effective command; when a force faces overwhelming prowess (here, Arjuna), it can fragment rapidly—like a river dividing at an obstacle—showing the ethical and strategic importance of steadiness and cohesion in crisis.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is cutting down the Kaurava troops so fiercely that Duryodhana’s large army breaks into two separated bodies, compared to the Gaṅgā splitting into two currents upon reaching a great mountain.