Shloka 53
Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा
धावतामाद्दयानानां तनुत्राणि च बध्नताम् | प्रयास्यतां पाण्डवानां ससैन्यानां समन्तत:
dhāvatām āddayānānāṃ tanutrāṇi ca badhnatām | prayāsyatāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ sa-sainyānāṃ samantataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As the Pāṇḍavas, together with their armies, were setting out on all sides, there was a flurry of urgent movement—men running about, mounting their vehicles, and fastening their armor. The scene conveys the moral weight of impending conflict: preparation is swift and practical, yet it signals the irreversible approach of war and its consequences.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum that precedes war: once collective action turns to mobilization—arming, mounting, and marching—the moral and practical consequences become difficult to reverse. It implicitly urges reflection on responsibility and restraint before conflict reaches this point.
As the Pāṇḍavas and their forces prepare to depart, people rush in every direction—some running, some mounting their conveyances, and others fastening armor—depicting a charged atmosphere of imminent military movement.