Shloka 17
सचर्मण: पदातीनां रथीनां च सधन्वन: । सप्रतोदान् नियन्तृणां बाहुंश्विच्छेद पाण्डव:,प्रलीनमीनमकरं सागराम्भ इवाभवत् | संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! उस समय अर्जुनके द्वारा खींचे जानेवाले गाण्डीव धनुषकी अत्यन्त भयंकर टंकार यमराजकी सुस्पष्ट गर्जना तथा इन्द्रके वज्रकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान जान पड़ती थी। उसे सुनकर आपकी सेना भयसे उद्विग्न हो बड़ी घबराहटमें पड़ गयी। उस समय उसकी दशा प्रलयकालकी आँधीसे क्षोभको प्राप्त एवं उत्ताल तरंगोंसे परिपूर्ण हुए उस महासागरके जलकी-सी हो गयी, जिसमें मछली और मगर आदि जलजन्तु छिप जाते हैं पाण्डुकुमार अर्जुनने हाथीसवारोंकी तोमरयुक्त, घुड़सवारोंकी प्रासयुक्त, पैदल सिपाहियोंकी ढालयुक्त, रथियोंकी धनुषयुक्त और सारथियोंकी चाबुकसहित भुजाओंको काट डाला
sa-carmaṇaḥ padātīnāṃ rathīnāṃ ca sa-dhanvanaḥ | sa-pratodān niyantṝṇāṃ bāhūṃś ciccheda pāṇḍavaḥ, pralīna-mīna-makaraṃ sāgarāmbha iva abhavat |
Sañjaya said: O King, the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna) hewed off the arms of the foot-soldiers bearing shields, of the chariot-warriors bearing bows, and of the drivers holding goads. Your army then became like the waters of the ocean in which fish and crocodiles lie hidden—turbid and overwhelmed—suggesting how, in war, fear and confusion can swallow up even the mighty when disciplined force is met by superior skill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a battlefield ethic of effectiveness and control: when a warrior of superior skill acts decisively, opposing forces can collapse into fear and disorder. It also hints at the moral weight of war—power can overwhelm the many, and panic can erase discernment, like creatures vanishing in a storm-tossed sea.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is cutting down the fighting capacity of the Kaurava side by severing the arms of infantry with shields, chariot-warriors with bows, and drivers with goads. The army’s condition is compared to ocean waters where fish and crocodiles hide—suggesting turmoil and disappearance amid chaos.