Shloka 14
व्यावर्तये रथं तूर्ण नदीवेगमिवार्णवात्
vyāvartaye rathaṁ tūrṇaṁ nadīvegam ivārṇavāt
Sañjaya said: “I swiftly turned the chariot back, as one would divert a rushing river-current away from the ocean.” The line underscores urgent, decisive action in the midst of war—an attempt to redirect an overpowering momentum before it becomes irreversible.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid overwhelming forces—like a river rushing to the sea—timely and resolute intervention can redirect events. The verse highlights human agency and strategic decisiveness in a moral and martial crisis.
Sañjaya reports a rapid maneuver: the chariot is turned back at once. The simile of diverting a river-current from the ocean conveys both speed and the difficulty of reversing a powerful course once it has gathered momentum.