Shloka 16
अथाभ्यधावंस्त्वरिता: शतं रथा: शतं गजाश्चार्जुममाततायिन:
athābhyadhāvaṁs tvaritāḥ śataṁ rathāḥ śataṁ gajāś cārjumam ātatāyinaḥ
Sañjaya said: Then, in great haste, a hundred chariots and a hundred elephants charged forward against Arjuna, assailing him as an aggressor. The line underscores the war’s moral inversion: in the heat of battle, even a righteous warrior may be branded an ‘ātatāyin’ by enemies to justify a massed attack.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, opponents may employ moral labels (like ‘ātatāyin’) to portray a righteous fighter as a criminal aggressor, thereby legitimizing extreme violence. It invites reflection on dharma: ethical judgment can be distorted by partisanship and battlefield urgency.
Sañjaya reports that a large force—one hundred chariots and one hundred elephants—rushes swiftly to attack Arjuna, presenting him as an ‘ātatāyin’ (aggressor) as they close in for combat.