Shloka 26
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
आश्षचर्यमिति गोविन्दो ब्रुवन्नश्वानचोदयत् । हंसांशुगौरास्ते सेनां हंसा: सर इवाविशन्
āścaryam iti govindo bruvann aśvān acodayat | haṃsāṃśu-gaurās te senāṃ haṃsāḥ sara ivāviśan ||
Sañjaya dit : S’écriant : « Quelle merveille ! », Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) lança les chevaux en avant. Blancs comme des cygnes et comme des rais de lune, ces coursiers s’engouffrèrent dans l’armée ennemie comme des cygnes entrant dans un lac.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores divine steadiness and fearless action in the midst of dharmic crisis: Kṛṣṇa, as charioteer, advances without hesitation, inspiring awe and suggesting that disciplined, purposeful action can be carried out even amid the ethical weight of battle.
Sañjaya narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Govinda) exclaims in wonder and drives the chariot-horses forward; the bright white horses enter the enemy formation, compared poetically to swans gliding into a lake.