Shloka 11
शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्
Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally
पुरोवातेन गड़ेव क्षोभ्यमाणा महानदी । अक्षोभ्यत तदा राजन् पाण्डूनां ध्वजिनी ततः,जैसे महावायु (आँधी) वृक्षोंको हिला देती है, उसी प्रकार पाण्डववीरोंने आपके सैनिकोंको कम्पित कर दिया। राजन! जैसे पूर्वी हवा महानदी गंगाको क्षुब्ध कर देती है, उसी प्रकार उन सैनिकोंने पाण्डवोंकी सेनामें भी हलचल मचा दी
purōvātena gaṅgevakṣobhyamāṇā mahānadī | akṣobhyata tadā rājan pāṇḍūnāṃ dhvajinī tataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, just as a great river is churned into turbulence by the easterly wind, so at that time the Pāṇḍavas’ army was thrown into agitation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a nature-simile to suggest that military strength and confidence are unstable: like a great river disturbed by wind, even a powerful army can be suddenly shaken by opposing force and circumstance, cautioning against overreliance on pride or presumed superiority.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas’ forces became agitated in the clash, comparing the commotion in the army to the Gaṅgā being churned by an easterly wind—an image for the surge and counter-surge of battle.