Shloka 206
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
युगार्थ छिन्नमादाय प्रदुद्राव तथा हयः । कितने ही रथ टूट गये, ध्वज कट गये, छत्र पृथ्वीपर गिरा दिये गये और जूए खण्डित हो गये। उन खण्डित हुए आधे जूओंको ही लेकर घोड़े तेजीसे भाग रहे थे
yugārthaṃ chinnam ādāya pradudrāva tathā hayaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Even after the yoke had been cut and broken, the horse bolted away, dragging the shattered remnant with it. In that furious press of battle, many chariots were smashed, banners were severed, parasols were hurled down to the earth, and yokes were splintered—yet the steeds, driven by panic and momentum, fled on with only the broken halves of the yokes still clinging to them. The scene underscores how war reduces royal emblems and ordered discipline to ruin, as uncontrolled force overwhelms human intention.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of human order and royal prestige in the face of war: banners and parasols—symbols of status and command—fall, and even disciplined war-horses become uncontrollable. Ethically, it points to the dehumanizing momentum of violence, where instruments of power turn into wreckage and fear drives action.
Sañjaya describes battlefield havoc: chariots are shattered, standards are cut down, parasols drop to the ground, and yokes break. A horse, despite its yoke being severed, runs off rapidly while still dragging the broken piece, illustrating the confusion and devastation of the fighting.