Shloka 21
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
व्यूह्म व्यूहं महाराज सर्वतो भद्रमृद्धिमत् प्रत्युद्ययौ रणे पार्थान् मद्रराज: प्रतापवान्
sañjaya uvāca |
vyūhya vyūhaṁ mahārāja sarvato-bhadram ṛddhimat |
pratyudyayau raṇe pārthān madrarājaḥ pratāpavān ||
mahārāja! tadā pratāpī mahārathī madrarājaḥ śalyaḥ tān yoddhān āśvāsya samṛddhiśālinaṁ sarvato-bhadranāmakaṁ vyūhaṁ kṛtvā bhāranāśakaḥ atyanta-vegāś ca vicitra-dhanuḥ kampayan sindhī-ghoḍaiḥ yukta-śreṣṭha-rathārūḍhaḥ pāṇḍavān abhyakrāmat |
サञ्जयは言った。「大王よ、勇猛なるマドラ国王シャリヤは、軍勢を『サルヴァトーバドラ（四方吉祥）』と名づけられた繁栄の陣形に整え、戦場に進み出てパーンドゥの子らに対峙した。ついでその強大なる車戦の勇士は、兵を励ましたのち、シンドゥの名馬を繋いだ優れた戦車に乗り、奇しき弓を烈しい速さで震わせつつ、パーンドゥ族へ猛攻を加えた——整然たる陣と武の決意によって、戦の流れを前へと押し進めながら。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya leadership in war: a commander must organize troops into a coherent formation, strengthen morale, and act decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s focus on disciplined action and responsibility in one’s role, even amid the tragic inevitability of battle.
Sanjaya reports to the king that Śalya, the Madra ruler and a great chariot-warrior, arranges his army into the Sarvatobhadra formation, encourages his warriors, mounts a chariot drawn by Sindhī horses, brandishes his bow, and advances to attack the Pāṇḍavas.