Shloka 53
Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा
धावतामाद्दयानानां तनुत्राणि च बध्नताम् | प्रयास्यतां पाण्डवानां ससैन्यानां समन्तत:
dhāvatām āddayānānāṃ tanutrāṇi ca badhnatām | prayāsyatāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ sa-sainyānāṃ samantataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Tandis que les Pāṇḍava, avec leurs armées, se mettaient en route de tous côtés, une agitation pressante s’empara du camp : on courait, on montait sur les chars, on sanglait les cuirasses. La scène fait sentir le poids moral du conflit qui approche : la préparation est prompte et concrète, mais elle annonce l’irréversible marche vers la guerre et ses suites.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum that precedes war: once collective action turns to mobilization—arming, mounting, and marching—the moral and practical consequences become difficult to reverse. It implicitly urges reflection on responsibility and restraint before conflict reaches this point.
As the Pāṇḍavas and their forces prepare to depart, people rush in every direction—some running, some mounting their conveyances, and others fastening armor—depicting a charged atmosphere of imminent military movement.