Mahabharata 7.97.9 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 9
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
नानाशस्त्रपुरोवातो द्विपाश्वरथसंवृतः । गदाविद्युन्महारौद्र: संग्रामजलदो महान्
nānaśastrapurovāto dvipāśvarathasaṁvṛtaḥ | gadāvidyunmahāraudraḥ saṅgrāmajalado mahān |
Sañjaya berkata: Medan perang itu tampak laksana awan badai raksasa bernama perang—padat oleh gajah, kuda, dan kereta. Senjata yang tak terhitung melesat ke depan bagaikan angin timur yang kencang, dan gada-gada berkilat seperti kilat. Mengerikan dipandang, awan-perang itu, digerakkan oleh Droṇācārya seakan oleh angin, menumpahkan hujan anak panah dalam ribuan aliran ke pasukan Pāṇḍava dari segala penjuru, menyala garang bagaikan api.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in portraying how war, under a powerful commander, becomes an impersonal, storm-like mechanism—suggesting the overwhelming, dehumanizing momentum of violence and the grave responsibility borne by leaders who ‘drive’ it.
Sañjaya describes the battle as a gigantic war-cloud: troops of elephants, horses, and chariots form its mass; weapons move like a strong east wind; maces flash like lightning; and, under Droṇa’s direction, torrents of arrows fall upon the Pāṇḍava forces on all sides.
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