Shloka 52
Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा
तदुग्र॑ सागरनिभ क्षुब्धं बलसमागमम् | रथपात्तिगजोदग्रं महोर्मिभिरिवाकुलम्,रथ, पैदल और हाथियोंसे भरी हुई वह भयंकर सेना उत्ताल तरंगोंसे व्याप्त महासागरके समान क्षुब्ध हो उठी
tad ugraṃ sāgaranibhaṃ kṣubdhaṃ balasamāgamam | rathapāttigajodagraṃ mahormibhir ivākulam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That fierce mustering of forces, like a vast ocean, surged in agitation—crowded with chariots, infantry, and elephants—tossed into turmoil as though by towering waves. The image underscores how collective wrath and rivalry, once assembled, becomes a dangerous, self-amplifying power that threatens to overwhelm restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the ocean simile to show how amassed military power and anger become turbulent and hard to restrain; ethically, it warns that once conflict is mobilized, it can overwhelm deliberation and dharma unless checked early.
The narrator describes the gathered army swelling into a frightening, wave-tossed mass—dense with chariots, foot-soldiers, and elephants—signaling the mounting momentum toward war.