Shloka 18
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
सचक्रकूबररथं साश्वध्वजपताकिनम् | अदृश्य॑ चक्रतुर्युद्धे तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्,तदनन्तर रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ श्रुतायु और अच्युतायुने अपना लक्ष्य सामने पाकर अर्जुन तथा वृष्णिवंशी श्रीकृष्णपर चारों ओरसे बाण-वर्षा करके चक्र, कूबर, रथ, अश्व, ध्वज और पताकासहित उन्हें उस रणक्षेत्रमें अदृश्य कर दिया। वह अद्धभुत-सी बात हो गयी
sa-cakra-kūbara-rathaṁ sāśva-dhvaja-patākinam | adṛśyaṁ cakratuḥ yuddhe tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle, they made Arjuna’s chariot—complete with its wheels, yoke, horses, banner, and pennons—disappear from sight under a surrounding shower of arrows. It seemed as though something wondrous had occurred, as the warriors sought to overwhelm the righteous cause by sheer force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, sheer force and spectacle can momentarily obscure even the greatest heroes; yet such ‘marvels’ are tactical effects, not final measures of dharma. It implicitly contrasts transient battlefield dominance with the enduring evaluation of conduct and purpose.
Two opposing warriors unleash a dense, all-around arrow-shower at Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, so that Arjuna’s chariot—its wheels, yoke, horses, banner, and flags—cannot be seen on the battlefield, creating an astonishing scene.