Shloka 53
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
तत्र गच्छ द्रुतं राज॑स्ततो द्रक्ष्यसि कौरवम् । “राजन! जहाँ यह मेघोंकी गम्भीर गर्जनाके समान भयानक शब्द गूँज रहा है, वहीं शीघ्रतापूर्वक चले जाइये, वहाँ आप कुरुराजका दर्शन कर सकेंगे”,हयपत्तिलताकीर्ण गाहमानो महायशा: । व्यचरत्तत्र गोविन्दो रथेनातिपताकिना
sañjaya uvāca |
tatra gaccha drutaṃ rājan tato drakṣyasi kauravam |
hayapattīlatākīrṇaṃ gāhamāno mahāyaśāḥ |
vyacarattatra govindo rathenātipatākinā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, rends-toi là-bas sans tarder ; là tu verras le souverain des Kuru. C’est précisément à l’endroit où retentit un rugissement effroyable—profond comme le tonnerre des nuées—, là même.» En ce lieu, l’illustre Govinda allait et venait, s’enfonçant dans la foule des chevaux, des fantassins et des chars, sur son char marqué d’une haute bannière.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the urgency and clarity needed in crisis: one must move decisively toward the true locus of action, where the consequences of leadership and war are unfolding. It also highlights how a single resolute agent (here Govinda) can cut through confusion and massed forces, suggesting the ethical weight of guidance and presence amid chaos.
Sañjaya directs the blind king to imagine the battlefield location where a terrifying, thunder-like roar is heard; there, he says, the king would ‘see’ the Kuru ruler. In that same scene, Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) is described maneuvering his chariot—bearing a lofty banner—through a dense press of horses, infantry, and chariots.