Shloka 6
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सैन्यप्रशंसा, भेदनवृत्तान्त-प्रश्नः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Praise of the Host and Inquiry after the Breach
सघण्टाश्वन्दनादिग्धा: स्वर्णवज्विभूषिता: । समुत्क्षिप्य गदा श्षान्ये पर्यपृच्छन्त पाण्डवम्,दूसरे बहुत-से योद्धा घंटानादसे युक्त, चन्दनचर्चित तथा सुवर्ण एवं हीरोंसे विभूषित गदाएँ ऊपर उठाकर पूछते थे कि पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुन कहाँ है?
sa-ghaṇṭāśva-ndanādigdhaḥ svarṇa-vajra-vibhūṣitāḥ | samutkṣipya gadāḥ śūnyāḥ paryapṛcchanta pāṇḍavam ||
Sañjaya said: “Many warriors, bearing maces adorned with gold and diamonds, their bodies anointed with sandal-paste and their horses fitted with sounding bells, lifted their maces aloft and kept asking about the Pāṇḍava—where Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, was. The scene underscores how, amid the pageantry of war and displays of power, the combatants’ attention narrows to a single moral and strategic focal point: the presence of the foremost archer whose dharma-bound resolve shapes the battle’s course.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid outward splendor and weapon-display, the decisive factor in a dharma-war is not ornamentation but the presence and resolve of the principal dharma-bound agent (here, Arjuna). The verse highlights how moral and strategic gravity concentrates around those whose conduct and capability shape outcomes.
Sañjaya reports that many warriors, richly equipped and raising their maces, repeatedly ask where Arjuna is on the battlefield—signaling their intent to locate, challenge, or assess the position of the key Pāṇḍava fighter.