Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
इसके बाद राजा दुर्योधनने रणभूमिमें सात सौ रथियोंको वहाँ भेजा, जहाँ धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिर खड़े थे ।।
tataḥ sa rājā duryodhanaḥ raṇabhūmau saptaśatān rathināṁs tatra preṣayām āsa yatra dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ sthitaḥ | te rathā rathibhir yuktā manomārutaraṁhasaḥ | abhyadravanta saṅgrāme kaunteyasya rathaṁ prati ||
Ensuite le roi Duryodhana envoya sur le champ de bataille sept cents guerriers en chars vers l’endroit où se tenait Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira. Ces chars, montés par des combattants aguerris et rapides comme la pensée et le vent, s’élancèrent au cœur du combat droit sur le char du fils de Kuntī.
संजय उवाच
Even amid war, the narrative highlights how leadership and dharma are tested under direct pressure: the dharma-king becomes a focal point, and the ethical weight of the conflict intensifies when righteousness is deliberately challenged.
Duryodhana orders a concentrated assault: seven hundred chariot-warriors, moving with extreme speed, rush toward Yudhiṣṭhira’s chariot on the battlefield.