Shloka 47
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
अभ्रच्छायामिव शरै: सैन्ये कृत्वा धनंजय: । मुण्डार्थधमुण्डाउ्जटिलानशुचीज्जटिलाननान्
abhra-cchāyām iva śaraiḥ sainye kṛtvā dhanañjayaḥ | muṇḍārdha-muṇḍān jaṭilān aśucīn jaṭilān anān ||
Sañjaya said: Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), showering the host with arrows as though laying upon it a cloud’s shadow, drove the opposing ranks into a wretched plight—some shaven, some half-shaven, some with matted jaṭā-locks, many filthy and dishevelled—clear signs of panic, rout, and the stripping away of martial order amid the violence of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, disciplined martial identity can collapse under overwhelming force: fear and disorder manifest outwardly (dishevelment, neglect). Ethically, it underscores the harsh reality of kṣatriya conflict—prowess achieves tactical ends, yet it also produces human degradation and suffering.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna saturating the enemy army with arrows, likened to a cloud’s shadow spreading over the ground. The opposing soldiers are depicted as thrown into disarray and distress, appearing shaven or half-shaven, matted-haired, and unclean—visual markers of panic and defeat.