Shloka 6
द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः
Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array
मण्डलानि ततक्षुक्रे गतप्रत्यागतानि च । यथा शक्ररथो राजन् युद्धे देवासुरे पुरा,राजन! पूर्वकालमें देवताओं और असुरोंके संग्राममें इन्द्रका रथ जिस प्रकार चलता था, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनका रथ भी कभी आगे बढ़कर और कभी पीछे हटकर मण्डलाकार गतिसे घूमने लगा
maṇḍalāni tatakṣukre gatapratyāgatāni ca | yathā śakraratho rājan yuddhe devāsure purā ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, Arjuna’s chariot began to wheel in circular courses—now advancing, now withdrawing—just as, in ancient times, Indra’s chariot moved in the war between the gods and the asuras.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined martial skill: effective warfare is not mere aggression but controlled movement—advancing and withdrawing as needed. By comparing Arjuna’s chariot to Indra’s in the primordial deva–asura war, it frames righteous prowess as aligned with dharmic order and strategic restraint.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s chariot executing rapid circular maneuvers on the battlefield, alternately pressing forward and pulling back. He elevates the scene through an epic comparison to Indra’s famed chariot-movements in the ancient battle of gods and asuras.