Shloka 7
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
संजय उवाच तान् दृष्टवा चलितानू् संख्ये प्रणुन्नान् द्रोणसायकै: । पज्चालान् पाण्डवान् मत्स्यान् सृज्जयांश्वेदिकिकयान्,संजयने कहा--महाराज! कौरवोंने देखा कि पांचाल, पाण्डव, मत्स्य, सूंजय, चेदि और केकय-देशीय योद्धा युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो विचलित हो उठे हैं तथा जैसे समुद्रकी महान् जलराशि बहुत-से नावोंको बहा ले जाती है, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यके धनुषसे छूटकर शीघ्र ही प्राण हर लेनेवाले बाण-समुदायने पाण्डव-सैनिकोंको मार भगाया है। तब वे सिंहनाद एवं नाना प्रकारके रण-वाद्योंका गम्भीर घोष करते हुए शत्रुओंके रथारोहियों, हाथीसवारों तथा पैदल सैनिकोंको सब ओरसे रोकने लगे
sañjaya uvāca tān dṛṣṭvā calitān yuddhe praṇunnān droṇasāyakaiḥ | pāñcālān pāṇḍavān matsyān sṛñjayāṃś cedi-kekayān ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing them shaken on the battlefield—harried and driven back by Droṇa’s arrows—the Pāñcālas, the Pāṇḍavas, the Matsyas, the Sṛñjayas, and the warriors of Cedi and Kekaya, the Kauravas recognized the crushing force of Droṇa’s martial prowess. The scene underscores a grim ethical tension of war: even renowned and righteous allies can be overwhelmed when a master of arms applies his skill without pause, turning the tide through sheer disciplined violence rather than through any moral superiority.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, outcomes often hinge on concentrated skill and command (here, Droṇa’s archery), creating an ethical strain: valor and righteous intent do not guarantee safety when violence is expertly applied. It invites reflection on the tragic cost of kṣatriya-duty when mastery of arms becomes the decisive moral-neutral force.
Sañjaya reports that allied forces of the Pāṇḍavas—Pāñcālas, Matsyas, Sṛñjayas, Cedis, and Kekayas—are visibly shaken and driven back under the intense arrow-fire of Droṇācārya during the battle in Droṇa Parva.