Shloka 9
द्रवते तद् यथा सैन्यं तेन भग्नं महात्मना,'सारथे! उन्हीं महात्मा अर्जुनकी खदेड़ी हुई वह सेना इधर-उधर भाग रही है। दौड़ते हुए रथों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंसे लाल रेशमके समान यह धूल ऊपरको उठ रही है
sañjaya uvāca | dravate tad yathā sainyaṃ tena bhagnaṃ mahātmanā | sārathē! unhīṃ mahātmā arjunakī khaderī huī vah senā idhar-udhar bhāg rahī hai | dauṛte hue rathoṃ, hāthiyoṃ aur ghoṛoṃ se lāl reśam ke samān yah dhūl ūpar ko uṭh rahī hai |
Sanjaya said: “O charioteer! Just as a routed host breaks and scatters, so that army—shattered by the great-souled one—now flees in all directions, driven back by the noble Arjuna. From the rushing chariots, elephants, and horses, dust rises upward, glowing like red silk.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the battlefield consequence of superior skill and resolve: when a leader of exceptional prowess acts decisively, even a large force can lose cohesion and flee. Ethically, it reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring theme that in kshatriya warfare, courage, discipline, and command determine whether an army stands firm or collapses.
Sanjaya reports to the listener (addressing a ‘charioteer’) that Arjuna has driven back and broken the opposing troops. The defeated army scatters in panic, while the movement of chariots, elephants, and horses throws up dust that appears reddish—likened to red silk.