Shloka 22
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
विधुन्वन् कार्मुकं चित्र भारघ्नं वेगवत्तरम् । रथप्रवरमास्थाय सैन्धवाश्वंं महारथ:,महाराज! तब प्रतापी महारथी मद्रराज शल्यने उन योद्धाओंको आश्वासन दे समृद्धिशाली सर्वतोभद्रनामक व्यूह बनाकर भारनाशक, अत्यन्त वेगशाली और विचित्र धनुषको कँपाते हुए सिंधी घोड़ोंसे युक्त श्रेष्ठ रथपर आरूढ़ हो पाण्डवोंपर आक्रमण किया
vidhunvan kārmukaṃ citraṃ bhāraghnaṃ vegavattaram | rathapravaram āsthāya saindhavāśvaṃ mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Shaking his wondrous bow—weight-destroying and exceedingly swift—and mounting a foremost chariot drawn by Sindhu-bred horses, the great warrior advanced to strike at the Pāṇḍavas. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle: reassurance and formation on one side, and the decisive surge of a commander on the other, as prowess is marshalled toward a violent end.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, leadership manifests through readiness, morale, and disciplined deployment of strength; ethically, it points to the sobering reality that skill and resolve can be directed toward destructive ends, reminding readers to weigh power against dharma.
Sañjaya describes a great warrior mounting a superior chariot drawn by Sindhu-bred horses and brandishing a remarkable, swift bow, then moving to attack the Pāṇḍavas—signaling an escalation and organized offensive in the battle.