Shloka 16
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
हयारोहवराश्वैव तव पुत्रेण चोदिता: । चतुर्दश सहस्राणि सौबलं पर्यवारयन्
hayārohavarāś caiva tava putreṇa coditāḥ | caturdaśa sahasrāṇi saubalaṃ paryavārayan |
Sañjaya said: Spurred on by your son, fourteen thousand elite horsemen surrounded Saubala, tightening the ring of battle around him. The scene underscores how, in war, numbers and command can swiftly turn the field into a trap—where loyalty to a leader’s order drives men into peril and closes off a warrior’s choices.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: in war, obedience to a leader’s command can mobilize overwhelming force, but it also raises moral tension—loyalty and duty to one’s commander may drive actions that endanger others and intensify violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at the urging of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana), fourteen thousand elite cavalrymen formed an encirclement around Saubala, creating a tactical ring on the battlefield.