Shloka 17
महाव्यूहप्रवर्तनम् / Deployment of the Great Battle Arrays
आपकी सेनाओंके सेनापति अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके ज्ञाता एवं नरवीर योद्धा थे। उनसे विधिपूर्वक अनुशासित हो रथसमूह
nānāraṅgāḥ samare tatra rājan meghairyutā vidyutaḥ khe yathaiva | vandaiḥ sthitāścāpi susamprayuktāḥ śaśakāśire dantigaṇāḥ samantāt ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, para panglima pasukan tuanku ialah ahli senjata dan astra, serta pahlawan gagah di medan perang. Di bawah disiplin dan arahan yang wajar, apabila kumpulan kereta perang, infantri, gajah dan kuda mula bergerak ke gelanggang pertempuran, debu yang terangkat oleh langkah mereka menutupi sinar matahari dan tampak berkilau seperti cahaya matahari pagi. Panji-panji yang berdiri di atas kereta dan gajah berkibar di segenap arah didorong angin, menambah seri. Dan, wahai Raja, sebagaimana kilat menyambar di langit di tengah gumpalan awan, demikianlah di medan itu kawanan gajah beraneka warna berdiri megah di sekeliling; tersusun rapi dan dipimpin dengan elok.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined military order and dazzling outward splendor can coexist with—and even conceal—the moral gravity of impending slaughter. The imagery invites reflection on the contrast between appearance (beauty, pageantry) and consequence (destruction), a recurring ethical tension in the war narrative.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scene on the battlefield: elephant divisions, brightly adorned and properly deployed in groups, stand shining on all sides. Their brilliance is compared to lightning flashing among clouds in the sky, emphasizing both grandeur and ominous intensity.