Shloka 36
धर्मराजस्य चिन्ता, भीमसेनप्रेषणम्, द्रोणानीकप्रवेशप्रयत्नः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Anxiety and the Dispatch of Bhīma; Attempted Breakthrough into Droṇa’s Formation
वातोद्धृतपताकं तं रथ जलदनि:स्वनम् । घोरं कपिध्वजं दृष्टवा विषण्णा रथिनो5भवन्,हवा लगनेसे अर्जुनके रथकी पताका फहरा रही थी। उस रथसे मेघकी गर्जनाके समान गम्भीर ध्वनि हो रही थी और ध्वजापर वानरवीर हनुमानजी विराजमान थे। उस भयंकर रथको देखकर सम्पूर्ण रथी विषादग्रस्त हो गये
sañjaya uvāca |
vātoddhṛta-patākaṁ taṁ rathaṁ jalada-niḥsvanam |
ghoraṁ kapi-dhvajaṁ dṛṣṭvā viṣaṇṇā rathino 'bhavan ||
Sañjaya said: When they saw that terrible chariot—its banner whipped aloft by the wind, its roar deep like thunderclouds, and bearing the monkey-banner (Hanumān) upon its standard—the warriors in their chariots were seized with dejection. The sight and sound of Arjuna’s emblematic chariot worked as a moral shock: it signaled the presence of a divinely protected cause and weakened the enemy’s resolve even before weapons struck.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharmic symbolism and perceived divine support can shape morale in war: the righteous side’s signs (Arjuna’s Hanumān-banner and thunder-like chariot) inspire confidence in allies and induce dejection in opponents, showing that inner resolve and ethical legitimacy are forces alongside weapons.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield reaction when Arjuna’s formidable chariot appears—its flag streaming in the wind and its sound like thunder. Seeing the fearsome monkey-standard (Hanumān) atop it, the opposing chariot-warriors become dispirited.