Shloka 14
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
संनिरुद्धाश्न॒ कौरव्यैद्रोणेन च महात्मना । एते<न्ये मण्डली भूता: पावकेनेव कुझड्जरा:,कौरव-सैनिकों तथा महामना द्रोणने इनकी गति रोक दी है। जैसे दावानलसे हाथी घिर जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार ये तथा अन्य पाण्डव-योद्धा कौरवोंसे घिर गये हैं
saṃniruddhāś ca kauravyair droṇena ca mahātmanā | ete ’nye maṇḍalībhūtāḥ pāvakeneva kuñjarāḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Para kesatria ini telah ditahan lajunya dan dikepung oleh kaum Kaurava serta oleh Droṇa yang berhati luhur. Laksana gajah-gajah yang terkurung oleh kobaran api rimba, demikianlah mereka dan para pejuang Pāṇḍava lainnya kini dilingkari dari segala arah.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys how war compresses moral space: tactical success is described through the image of encirclement, reminding the reader that battlefield ‘skill’ often manifests as constriction and heightened danger for the surrounded—raising implicit questions about dharma and the human cost of victory.
Duryodhana reports that Droṇa, together with the Kaurava forces, has checked the opposing fighters and enclosed them in a ring, comparing the trapped warriors to elephants surrounded by a spreading fire.