Shloka 21
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
रथिनश्न रथैहीना वर्मिणस्तेजसा युता: । कुण्डलोष्णीषिण: सर्वे निष्काड्दविभूषणा:,प्रजानाथ! कितने ही रथी रथोंसे हीन हो गये थे। वे कवच, कुण्डल और पगड़ी धारण किये बड़े तेजस्वी दिखायी देते थे। उन सबने कण्ठमें स्वर्णमय पदक और भुजाओंमें बाजूबंद धारण कर रखे थे। वे देखनेमें देवकुमारोंके समान सुन्दर और युद्धमें इन्द्रके समान शौर्यसम्पन्न थे। वे समृद्धिमें कुबेर और नीतिज्ञतामें बृहस्पतिजीसे भी बढ़कर थे। ऐसे सर्वलोकेश्वर शूरवीर भी रथहीन हो गँवार मनुष्योंकी भाँति जहाँ-तहाँ भागते दिखायी देते थे
sañjaya uvāca |
rathinaś ca rathair hīnā varmiṇas tejasā yutāḥ |
kuṇḍaloṣṇīṣiṇaḥ sarve niṣkāṇḍavibhūṣaṇāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Many great chariot-warriors had been deprived of their chariots; yet, clad in armor and radiant with martial splendor, all of them wore earrings and turbans, adorned with golden neck-ornaments and armlets. Though they looked like celestial princes in beauty and were Indra-like in valor, they were seen running here and there on foot like ordinary men—showing how, in war, fortune and circumstance can strip even the mighty of their station and composure.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of worldly power in war: even the most splendid and heroic warriors can be reduced to vulnerability when their supports (like chariots and formations) are lost. It highlights impermanence and the humbling force of circumstance, a reminder to ground valor in steadiness rather than external status.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where many renowned chariot-fighters have lost their chariots. Despite still wearing armor and rich ornaments, they are forced to move on foot and scatter, revealing a moment of disarray and reversal amid the Kurukṣetra fighting.