Shloka 5
महाव्यूहप्रवर्तनम् / Deployment of the Great Battle Arrays
सम्मोहा सर्वान् युधि कीर्तिमन्तो व्यूहं चत॑ मकरं वज़कल्पम् | प्रविश्य भीमेन रणे हतो5स्मि घोरै: शरैर्मुत्युदण्डप्रकाशै:,वे युद्धमें सबको मोहित करके अपनी कीर्तिका विस्तार करते हैं। देखिये न, भीमसेनने वज्रके समान दुर्भेद्य मकर-व्यूहमें प्रवेश करके मृत्युदण्डके समान भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा मुझे युद्धस्थलमें क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया है
saṃmohāt sarvān yudhi kīrtimanto vyūhaṃ ca taṃ makaraṃ vajrakalpam | praviśya bhīmena raṇe hato 'smi ghoraiḥ śaraiḥ mṛtyudaṇḍaprakāśaiḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Tras sumir a todos en el desconcierto en el campo de batalla, aquellos guerreros célebres acrecientan su renombre. Mira: Bhīma ha irrumpido en la formación en forma de makara, difícil de quebrar como un rayo, y allí, en la lucha, he sido abatido, desgarrado por flechas terribles que relucen como la vara de la Muerte.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war: tactical mastery and the pursuit of fame can generate mass confusion (saṃmoha) and culminate in death-dealing violence. It implicitly warns that renown gained in battle is inseparable from suffering and mortality, urging ethical reflection on the costs of martial glory.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the Kurukṣetra war where renowned fighters create battlefield confusion and deploy a formidable makara-shaped formation. Bhīma breaks into this supposedly impenetrable array and, amid the clash, the speaker says he is struck down by terrifying arrows likened to Death’s rod.