Shloka 5
चर्मवर्म भ्रमोपेतां रथोडुपसमाकुलाम् । जयैषिणां च सुतरां भीरूणां च सुदुस्तराम्
carmavarma bhramopetāṁ rathoḍupasamākulām | jayaiṣiṇāṁ ca sutarāṁ bhīrūṇāṁ ca sudustarām ||
Sañjaya said: “That battlefield was choked with chariots moving like boats, and filled with the whirling confusion of shields and armor. For those intent on victory it offered a passage—yet for the fearful it was exceedingly hard to cross.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The same ordeal tests people differently: resolve and a victory-oriented mind can find a way through chaos, while fear magnifies obstacles and makes the path seem nearly impassable—an ethical reminder that courage and steadiness are essential in kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield’s turmoil: shields and armor create a dizzying confusion, and the mass of chariots is likened to a fleet of boats, conveying how difficult it is to move and survive amid the press of war.