Shloka 25
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
एवं च समरे सर्वे वीराश्न विरथीकृता:
sañjaya uvāca | evaṃ ca samare sarve vīrāś ca virathīkṛtāḥ | jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
संजय बोले—इस प्रकार उस समर में बहुत-से वीर रथहीन कर दिए गए; और जब वे योधाओं में श्रेष्ठ को मार डालने की इच्छा से आगे बढ़े, तब महान् और तुमुल संघर्ष छिड़ गया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and practical reality of war: status and prowess can collapse in an instant (even heroes become chariotless), and collective intent to destroy a key opponent can escalate into overwhelming violence—highlighting the grave ethical weight of martial decisions.
Sanjaya reports that the fighting intensified: warriors were being unseated and made chariotless, and as fighters pressed forward aiming to kill the foremost warrior (contextually Bhishma), the battle swelled into a great, terrifying tumult.