Shloka 5
Bhīmasena–Drauṇi Mahāyuddha
Chariot Duel and Astra-Exchange
कल्प्यतां नागमुख्यानां रथानां च वरूथिनाम् | संनहातां नराणां च वाजिनां च विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! सजाये जाते हुए बड़े-बड़े गजराजों, आवरणयुक्त रथों, कवच धारण करते हुए मनुष्यों, कसे जाते हुए घोड़ों तथा उतावलीपूर्वक एक-दूसरेको पुकारते हुए योद्धाओंका महान् तुमुल-नाद आकाशमें बहुत ऊँचेतक गूँज रहा था
sañjaya uvāca | kalpyatāṃ nāgamukhyānāṃ rathānāṃ ca varūthinām | saṃnahātāṃ narāṇāṃ ca vājīnāṃ ca viśāmpate prajānātha |
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, O ruler of subjects, preparations were being made—of the foremost elephants, of chariots fitted with protective coverings, of men fully armed in their gear, and of horses being harnessed. The tumult of the army’s readiness and martial calling rose and echoed high into the sky, signaling the moral weight and irreversible momentum of the coming battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: once vast forces are fully prepared—elephants, chariots, armed men, and horses—the conflict gains an almost irreversible momentum. It implicitly reminds the ruler (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) that decisions leading to war carry responsibility for the suffering that follows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the armies are being readied in full scale—major war-elephants, protected chariots, armored warriors, and harnessed horses—creating a great tumult that echoes upward, marking the immediate onset of battle activity in the Karṇa Parva.