Mahabharata 6.49.81 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 49, 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 ||
Sañjaya berkata: Demikianlah, di medan perang yang padat bersimpang-siur—tatkala bala tentera tuanku dan bala mereka bercampur-aduk—beribu-ribu, malah berpuluh ribu pertarungan satu lawan satu sedang berlangsung antara pahlawan kereta perang, penunggang gajah, penunggang kuda, dan askar berjalan kaki. Pemandangan itu menzahirkan kekacauan moral perang: apabila angkatan bertembung, keberanian dan kewajipan diri (svadharma) diuji di tengah huru-hara yang menenggelamkan serta kemusnahan saling-memusnahkan.
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.
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