Shloka 7
Bhīṣma’s Stuti of Keśava and Counsel on Nara–Nārāyaṇa (भीष्म-स्तवः; नरनारायण-प्रसङ्गः)
तं॑ व्यालनानाविधगूढसारं गजाश्वपादातरथौघपक्षम् । व्यूहं महामेघसमं महात्मा ददर्श दूरात् कपिराजकेतु:,महामना कपिध्वज अर्जुनने दूरसे देखा कि कौरवसेना व्याल नामक व्यूहमें आबद्ध होनेके कारण अनेक प्रकारकी दिखायी दे रही है। उसकी शक्ति छिपी हुई है। उसमें हाथी, घोड़े, पैदल तथा रथियोंके समूह भरे हुए हैं। सेनाका वह व्यूह महान् मेघोंकी घटाके समान जान पड़ता है तस्य लाघवमार्गस्थमादित्यसदृशप्रभम् | व्यदृश्यत महच्चापं समरे युध्यत: परै: समरभूमिमें शत्रुओंके साथ युद्ध करते हुए अभिमन्युका विशाल धनुष अस्त्रलाघवके पथपर स्थित हो सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित हो रहा था
sañjaya uvāca | taṁ vyāla-nānāvidha-gūḍha-sāraṁ gajāśva-pādāta-rathaugha-pakṣam | vyūhaṁ mahā-megha-samaṁ mahātmā dadarśa dūrāt kapi-rāja-ketuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: From afar, the great-souled Arjuna—whose banner bears the emblem of the lord of monkeys—beheld the Kaurava host arranged in the ‘Vyāla’ formation. It appeared manifold and deceptive, its true strength concealed; its ‘wings’ were packed with masses of elephants, horses, infantry, and charioteers. That battle-array looked like a vast bank of thunderclouds—dense, ominous, and hard to penetrate—signaling the moral gravity and peril of the war about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare involves not only visible force but also concealed strength and strategic deception (gūḍha-sāra). Ethically, it underscores the grave responsibility of kṣatriya action: one must perceive reality clearly, recognize the peril and density of conflict (cloud-like vyūha), and still act with steadiness and discernment in the face of intimidating appearances.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, from a distance, sees the Kaurava army arranged in the ‘Vyāla’ battle formation. The formation’s flanks are crowded with elephants, horses, infantry, and chariots, and it appears like a massive bank of storm clouds—suggesting a formidable, hard-to-break military array.