Shloka 88
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
त्वदीयास्तांस्तु सम्प्रेक्ष्य सर्वत: समभिद्रुतान् । रथाश्वपत्तिद्विरदा: पाण्डवानभिदुद्रुवु:,पाण्डव-सैनिकोंको सब ओरसे आक्रमण करते देख आपके रथी, घुड़सवार, पैदल और हाथीसवार भी पाण्डवोंपर टूट पड़े
tvadīyāstāṃstu samprekṣya sarvataḥ samabhidrutān | rathāśvapattidviradāḥ pāṇḍavānabhidudruvuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing your forces rushing in from every side, the warriors of your host—those in chariots, on horses, on foot, and upon elephants—also charged straight at the Pāṇḍavas. The battle swelled into a many-formed assault, where disciplined ranks and martial duty drove men and beasts alike into the press of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, collective momentum and perceived necessity (kṣatriya-dharma and loyalty to one’s side) can rapidly escalate violence: once an all-sided assault is seen, the entire fourfold army responds in kind. It invites reflection on how duty and group allegiance can override restraint, intensifying conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, observing the opposing troops pressing in from all directions, the Kaurava host—chariot-warriors, cavalry, infantry, and elephant-corps—surged forward and attacked the Pāṇḍavas, turning the encounter into a full-scale charge.