Shloka 8
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
व्यश्वसूतध्वजरथान् विप्रविद्धायुधद्विपान् । सम्यगस्तै: शरै: पाण्ड्यो वायुर्मेघानिवाक्षिपत्,जैसे वायु मेघोंको उड़ा देती है, उसी प्रकार पाण्ड्यनरेशने अच्छी तरह चलाये हुए बाणोंद्वारा समस्त सैनिकोंको घोड़े, सारथि, ध्वज और रथोंसे हीन कर दिया। उनके आयुधों और हाथियोंको भी मार गिराया
sañjaya uvāca | vyaśvasūtadhvajarathān vipraviddhāyudhadvipān | samyag astaiḥ śaraiḥ pāṇḍyo vāyur meghān ivākṣipat |
Sanjaya said: The Pandya king, with arrows well released and precisely aimed, scattered the enemy host—stripping them of horses, charioteers, banners, and chariots, and striking down their weapons and elephants—just as the wind drives and disperses the clouds. The verse underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill, where martial excellence rapidly turns organized forces into disarray.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how swiftly disciplined skill (samyag astaiḥ śaraiḥ) can overturn apparent strength in war: formations and symbols of power—chariots, banners, mounts—can be rendered meaningless when order collapses. Ethically, it points to the grim reality that prowess in a dharma-yuddha still produces massive destruction, reminding readers that victory often comes through the rapid dismantling of an opponent’s capacity to fight.
Sanjaya describes the Pandya king’s attack: with accurately released arrows he disables the opposing troops by depriving them of horses, charioteers, banners, and chariots, and he also strikes down their weapons and elephants. The effect is compared to wind scattering clouds—an image of sudden, sweeping battlefield disruption.