Shloka 24
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सैन्यप्रशंसा, भेदनवृत्तान्त-प्रश्नः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Praise of the Host and Inquiry after the Breach
पश्चार्थे तस्य पद्मस्तु गर्भव्यूह: सुदुर्भिद: । सूची पद्मस्य गर्भस्थो गूढो व्यूह: कृत: पुन:,उस चक्रशकटव्यूहके पिछले भागमें पद्म नामक एक गर्भव्यूह बनाया गया था, जो अत्यन्त दुर्भद्य था। उस पद्यव्यूहके मध्यभागमें सूची नामक एक गूढ़ व्यूह और बनाया गया था
sañjaya uvāca |
paścārdhe tasya padmas tu garbhavyūhaḥ sudurbhidaḥ |
sūcī padmasya garbhastho gūḍho vyūhaḥ kṛtaḥ punaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “In the rear of that formation, a ‘Lotus’ inner-array was set, exceedingly hard to break. And within the very core of the Lotus, yet another concealed array—called the ‘Needle’—was fashioned again.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare in the Mahābhārata often turns on layered tactics—arrays within arrays—raising ethical tension between kṣatriya valor (open combat) and strategic concealment (gūḍha-vyūha). It implicitly invites reflection on how dharma is tested when victory depends on increasingly intricate and deceptive stratagems.
Sañjaya describes the enemy’s battle formation as having a rear ‘Lotus’ inner-array that is extremely hard to penetrate, and within that Lotus a further hidden ‘Needle’ formation placed at the core—indicating a multi-layered defensive design meant to trap or thwart attackers.