Shloka 22
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
विधुन्वन् कार्मुकं चित्र भारघ्नं वेगवत्तरम् । रथप्रवरमास्थाय सैन्धवाश्वंं महारथ:
vidhunvan kārmukaṃ citraṃ bhāraghnaṃ vegavattaram | rathapravaram āsthāya saindhavāśvaṃ mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, faisant vibrer son arc merveilleux—qui semble abolir le poids et dont la vitesse est sans pareille—et montant sur un char d’élite attelé de chevaux du Sindhu, le grand guerrier s’avança pour frapper les Pāṇḍavas. La scène met en relief l’élan funeste du combat : d’un côté, l’encouragement et l’ordonnance; de l’autre, la ruée décisive d’un chef, rassemblant sa prouesse vers une fin sanglante.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, leadership manifests through readiness, morale, and disciplined deployment of strength; ethically, it points to the sobering reality that skill and resolve can be directed toward destructive ends, reminding readers to weigh power against dharma.
Sañjaya describes a great warrior mounting a superior chariot drawn by Sindhu-bred horses and brandishing a remarkable, swift bow, then moving to attack the Pāṇḍavas—signaling an escalation and organized offensive in the battle.