Shloka 38
भीष्मसेनासंनिवेशः — Bhīṣma’s Mobilization, Omens, and the Kaurava Array
स रथानीकवान् व्यूहो हस्त्यड्रो नृपशीर्षवान् | वाजिपक्ष: पतत्युग्र: प्रहसन् सर्वतोमुख:
sa rathānīkavān vyūho hastyaṅgo nṛpaśīrṣavān | vājipakṣaḥ pataty ugraḥ prahasan sarvatomukhaḥ ||
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಓ ರಾಜನೇ! ರಥಸಮೂಹಗಳಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದ ಆ ಭಯಂಕರ ವ್ಯೂಹವು ಸರ್ವತೋಮುಖವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಅದು ನಗುತ್ತಾ ದಾಳಿಗೆ ಉಕ್ಕಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ತೋಚಿತು. ಆನೆಗಳು ಅದರ ಅಂಗಗಳು, ರಾಜರ ಸಮೂಹ ಅದರ ಶಿರಸ್ಸು, ಕುದುರೆಗಳು ಅದರ ರೆಕ್ಕೆಗಳಂತೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how organized power and royal pride can take on an almost living, predatory character in war. It implicitly warns that martial brilliance and confidence (symbolized by the ‘laughing’ formation) can intensify violence, reminding readers to weigh kṣatriya duty against the moral cost of aggression.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the appearance of a formidable, all-facing battle formation. He describes its components metaphorically: chariots as its mass, elephants as limbs, kings as the head, and horses as wings, conveying a multi-directional, advancing threat.