Shloka 6
प्रभूतपद्मोत्पलमत्स्यकच्छपौ महाह्दौ पक्षिगणैरिवावृतौ । सुसंनिकृष्टावनिलोद्धतौ यथा तथा रथौ तौ ध्वजिनौ समीयतु:,जैसे प्रचुर पद्म, उत्पल, मत्स्य और कच्छपोंसे युक्त तथा पक्षिसमूहोंसे आवृत दो अत्यन्त निकटवर्ती विशाल सरोवर वायुसे संचालित हो परस्पर मिल जाये, उसी प्रकार ध्वजोंसे सुशोभित उनके वे दोनों रथ एक-दूसरेसे भिड़ गये थे
sañjaya uvāca |
prabhūtapadmotpala-matsya-kacchapau mahāhradāv pakṣigaṇair ivāvṛtau |
susaṃnikṛṣṭāv aniloddhatau yathā tathā rathau tau dhvajinau samīyatuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Like two vast lakes lying close together—abounding in lotuses and water-lilies, filled with fish and turtles, and covered as if by flocks of birds—when stirred by the wind they surge and meet, so too those two bannered chariots, splendid with their standards, were driven into one another in the press of battle. The image underscores how the clash of warriors, though propelled by human will, also moves with the irresistible momentum of forces set in motion by war and fate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical resonance lies in portraying battle as a powerful, almost natural force. By likening the warriors’ chariots to wind-driven lakes, it suggests how violence, once unleashed, gathers momentum beyond easy restraint—inviting reflection on responsibility and the grave consequences of choosing war.
Sañjaya describes two opposing, bannered chariots rushing together and colliding. He heightens the scene with a vivid simile: two nearby, life-filled lakes, stirred by wind, surging into each other—conveying the intensity and inevitability of the clash.