Shloka 30
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
सारी सेनाओंके पार्श्रभागमें, आगे, पीछे, बीचमें एवं चारों ओर भिन्न-भिन्न सैनिक चलती हुई मशालें हाथमें लेकर पाण्डुपुत्रकी सेनाको प्रकाशित करने लगे ।। मध्ये तथान्ये ज्वलिताग्निहस्ता: सेनाद्वयेडपि सम नरा विचेरु: । सर्वेषु सैन्येषु पदातिसड्घा विमिश्रिता हस्तिरथाश्चववन्दै:
madhye tathānye jvalitāgnihastāḥ senādvayor api samaṃ narā viceruḥ | sarveṣu sainyeṣu padātisaṅghā vimiśritā hastirathāś ca vavande ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Di rusuk, di hadapan, di belakang, di tengah, dan di sekeliling semua angkatan, para prajurit yang berbeza-beza bergerak sambil memegang obor menyala, menerangi bala tentera putera Pāṇḍu. Di tengah-tengah kedua-dua tentera, orang-orang lain juga bergerak dengan seimbang, memegang api yang marak di tangan. Di seluruh pasukan, kumpulan besar infantri bercampur dengan gajah dan kereta perang, sehingga seluruh medan tampak bergelora dengan barisan yang bersilang-silang—suatu cahaya yang membawa firasat, menampakkan jelas pihak lawan dan menajamkan ketegangan moral perang malam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war’s machinery—light, movement, and coordination—can strip away concealment and force confrontation. Ethically, it underscores the intensification of conflict when visibility and certainty replace ambiguity, pressing warriors to face the consequences of their choices without the cover of darkness.
Torch-bearers move through and between the two armies, spreading light across the battlefield. As the flames illuminate the field, infantry, elephants, and chariots appear intermingled in dense formations, conveying the scale and restless motion of the forces at night.