Shloka 29
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
सेनासु सर्वासु च पार्श्चतो <5न्ये पश्चात् पुरस्ताच्च समन्ततश्न । मध्ये तथान्ये ज्वलिताग्निहस्ता व्यदीपयन् पाण्डुसुतस्य सेनाम्
senāsu sarvāsu ca pārśvato 'nye paścāt purastāc ca samantataś ca | madhye tathānye jvalitāgnihastā vyadīpayan pāṇḍusutasya senām ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dalam semua bahagian angkatan, ada yang menyerang dari rusuk, ada dari belakang dan dari hadapan, dan ada pula dari segenap penjuru. Yang lain berdiri di tengah dengan obor menyala di tangan, menerangi bala tentera putera Pāṇḍu—menambah ngeri dan kekacauan pertempuran malam, serta menolak konflik menuju keganasan yang kejam dan mengepung dari segala arah.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war, especially at night, tends to expand into indiscriminate, all-directional aggression; it implicitly warns that when visibility and restraint diminish, ethical boundaries in combat are easily eroded, making vigilance about dharma and limits in violence crucial.
Sañjaya describes a coordinated assault on the Pāṇḍava forces: attackers press from the flanks, rear, front, and all directions, while others in the center carry blazing firebrands to illuminate the battlefield and the Pāṇḍava army, enabling pursuit and intensifying the pressure of the night engagement.