Shloka 10
रथाश्वमातड्रपदातिभिस्तत: परस्परं विप्रहतापतन् क्षितौ । यथा सविद्युत्स्तनिता बलाहका: समाहता दिग्भ्य इवोग्रमारुतै:
rathāśvamātadrapadātibhistataḥ parasparaṃ viprahatāpatann kṣitau | yathā savidyutstanitā balāhakāḥ samāhatā digbhya ivogramārutaiḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: Lalu para kusir kereta, penunggang kuda, dan prajurit pejalan kaki—saling menghantam dalam jarak dekat—berjatuhan ke tanah. Mereka ambruk bagaikan awan badai yang berkilat oleh petir dan menggelegar oleh guruh, dihantam dari segala arah oleh angin yang garang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the catastrophic consequence of mutual aggression: when combatants abandon restraint and strike one another relentlessly, they are brought down indiscriminately. The cloud-and-wind simile suggests forces larger than individual will—momentum, rage, and the collective storm of war—sweeping all into ruin, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of violence.
Sañjaya describes a phase of intense melee where chariot-warriors, cavalry, and infantry clash at close quarters. After exchanging heavy blows, many fall to the ground, and their collapse is compared to thunderclouds driven together from all sides by fierce winds.