Shloka 34
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
रथोडुपशताकीर्णा हयसंघातरोधसम् | रथचक्रयुगेषाक्षकूबरैरतिदुर्गमाम्
rathoḍupaśatākīrṇā haya-saṅghāta-rodhasam | ratha-cakra-yugeṣākṣa-kūbarair ati-durgamām
Medan itu sesak oleh ratusan kereta—laksana perahu-perahu yang berdesakan di alur air—dan lorong-lorongnya tertutup oleh gerombolan kuda yang rapat. Roda, kuk, gandar, dan tiang kereta berserakan serta saling tersangkut, sehingga tempat itu menjadi amat sukar dilalui.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and practical reality of war: once violence escalates, order collapses into congestion and confusion, making right action (dharma) harder to discern and execute. It implicitly cautions that the machinery of conflict can overwhelm human control and intention.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become jammed with chariots and masses of horses; broken or entangled chariot parts—wheels, yokes, axles, and poles—have made movement extremely difficult.