Shloka 41
'सारथे! मध्यम वेगका आश्रय लेकर तुम मुझे वहाँ ले चलो, जहाँ नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र- शस्त्र लिये युद्धके लिये उद्यत हुए बाह्लिकदेशीय सैनिक दिखायी देते हैं ।। दाक्षिणात्याश्व बहव: सूतपुत्रपुरोगमा: । हस्त्यश्वरथसम्बाधं यच्चानीकं॑ विलोक्यते
sārathe! madhyama-vegakā āśraya lekara tvaṁ māṁ tatra naya, yatra nānā-prakārastrāśastra-dhṛto yuddhāya udyatā bāhlika-deśīyāḥ sainikā dṛśyante || dākṣiṇātyāśvā bahavaḥ sūta-putra-purogamāḥ | hastyaśva-ratha-sambādhaṁ yac cānīkaṁ vilokyate ||
Sañjaya said: “O charioteer, proceed at a moderate speed and take me to that place where the soldiers from the Bāhlika region can be seen—arrayed for battle, bearing weapons of many kinds. There, too, are many southern horses, with the son of a charioteer at their head; and one can behold a battle-formation densely packed with elephants, horses, and chariots.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined action amid chaos: even in war, movement and decision-making should be measured (madhyama-vega), guided by clear observation of forces and formations. It underscores the ethical weight of leadership—seeing the human and material scale of battle before acting.
Sañjaya addresses a charioteer, asking to be taken at a moderate pace to a sector of the battlefield where Bāhlika troops stand ready with diverse weapons. He notes a formation crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, led by the ‘son of a charioteer’ (a common epithet for Karṇa), indicating the concentration and leadership of that contingent.