Shloka 373
अपश्यन् रथिनो युद्ध विचित्र चित्रयोधिनाम् । रथके विचित्र पैंतरोंसे विचरनेवाले तथा विचित्र युद्ध करनेवाले उन महारथियोंका विचित्र रथोंसे व्याप्त वह विचित्र युद्ध वहाँ सब रथी दर्शककी भाँति देखने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | apaśyan rathino yuddhaṃ vicitraṃ citrayodhinām | rathake vicitra-paitarair vicarantam tathā vicitra-yuddha-kāriṇām | tān mahārathīnām vicitra-rathaiḥ vyāptaṃ tad vicitra-yuddhaṃ tatra sarve rathinaḥ darśakavat paśyanti sma |
サञ्जयは言った。戦車の武者たちは、さまざまな戦士で満ちた驚くべき戦いを目の当たりにした。戦車は入り組んだ牽制と機動で縦横に走り、偉大なる勇士たちは多彩で巧緻な戦法をもって斬り結ぶ。戦場は奇しき戦車で埋め尽くされ、そこでは戦車武者たちが、その異様で見世物めいた戦を、まるで観客のように見つめた—その複雑さと華やかな展開に、一瞬心を奪われて。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can become a mesmerizing spectacle of skill and tactics, momentarily turning even seasoned warriors into mere observers. Ethically, it hints at the danger of aesthetic fascination with violence—where the display of prowess can eclipse sober attention to dharma and the human cost of battle.
Sañjaya describes a phase of the battle dominated by chariots and great chariot-warriors executing complex maneuvers and varied fighting styles. The battlefield is so filled with chariots and tactical feints that the combat appears ‘wondrous’ and ‘strange,’ and the chariot-fighters are depicted as watching it like spectators.