Shloka 16
महाव्यूहप्रवर्तनम् / Deployment of the Great Battle Arrays
समुद्धतं वै तरुणार्कवर्ण रजो बभौच्छादयन् सूर्यरश्मीन् । रेजु: पताका रथदन्तिसंस्था वातेरिता भ्राम्यमाणा: समन्तात्
samuddhataṃ vai taruṇārkavarṇa rajo babhaucchādayan sūryaraśmīn | rejuḥ patākā rathadantisamsthā vāteritā bhrāmyamāṇāḥ samantāt ||
Sañjaya berkata: Debu yang teraduk, berkilau laksana warna matahari muda, menjulang dan menyebar hingga menutupi sinar-sinar surya. Di sekeliling, panji-panji yang terpasang pada kereta dan gajah berkilat dan berputar-putar, digerakkan oleh angin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct injunction, but its ethical force lies in its vivid portrayal of war’s atmosphere: human ambition and violence raise a blinding ‘dust’ that obscures clarity (symbolized by the sun’s rays). It implicitly cautions that conflict clouds discernment and spreads turmoil in all directions.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield as fighting and movement intensify: dust rises in a reddish-golden mass, dimming sunlight, while the standards mounted on chariots and elephants glitter and whirl in the wind across the field.