Shloka 42
Bhīmasena–Drauṇi Mahāyuddha
Chariot Duel and Astra-Exchange
नृत्यमाने च ते सेने समेयातां परस्परम् । तयो: पक्षप्रपक्षेभ्यो निर्जग्मुस्ते युयुत्मव:,वे दोनों सेनाएँ परस्पर नृत्य करती हुई-सी भिड़ गयीं। युद्धकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले वीर उन दोनों व्यूहोंके पक्ष और प्रपक्षसे निकलने लगे
nṛtyamāne ca te sene sameyātāṃ parasparam | tayoḥ pakṣaprapakṣebhyo nirjagmus te yuyutsmavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As the two armies surged forward as if in a dance, they closed upon one another. Then the warriors, eager for battle, began to stream out from the flanks and counter-flanks of both battle-formations, pressing into the clash.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of entering battle with resolve: warriors deliberately emerge from the wings of formations to engage. Ethically, it frames war as an arena where duty (dharma as understood by warriors) and violence collide, emphasizing disciplined movement and intentional engagement rather than chaos alone.
As the Pāṇḍava and Kaurava armies converge, the clash begins in earnest. Fighters eager for combat move out from the flanks and counter-flanks of their respective formations, indicating tactical deployment from the wings into the main engagement.