Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 81
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
एवं द्वन्दडसहस्राणि रथवारणवाजिनाम् । पदातीनां च समरे तव तेषां च संकुले,इस प्रकार उस घमासान युद्धमें आपके और पाण्डवपक्षके रथ, हाथी, घोड़े और पैदल सैन्यके सहसोरों योद्धाओंमें द्वन्ध-युद्ध चल रहा था
evaṁ dvandva-sahasrāṇi ratha-vāraṇa-vājinām | padātīnāṁ ca samare tava teṣāṁ ca saṅkule ||
ഇങ്ങനെ ആ സമരത്തിൽ—നിങ്ങളുടെ സൈന്യവും അവരുടെ സൈന്യവും കലർന്നുകുഴഞ്ഞ ആ യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ—രഥികൾ, ഗജാരോഹികൾ, അശ്വാരോഹികൾ, പദാതികൾ എന്നിങ്ങനെ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് ദ്വന്ദ്വയുദ്ധങ്ങൾ നടന്നു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war collapses order into saṅkula (confusion): even when warriors pursue their perceived duty, the battlefield becomes a moral and practical tangle where countless individual duels erupt, underscoring the grave cost and complexity of kṣatriya-dharma in conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battle has become a dense mêlée: thousands of one-on-one fights are occurring simultaneously among chariot-fighters, elephant troops, cavalry, and infantry from both sides, all intermingled on the field.