Mahabharata 7.97.9 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 9
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
नानाशस्त्रपुरोवातो द्विपाश्वरथसंवृतः । गदाविद्युन्महारौद्र: संग्रामजलदो महान्
nānaśastrapurovāto dvipāśvarathasaṁvṛtaḥ | gadāvidyunmahāraudraḥ saṅgrāmajalado mahān |
Sañjaya berkata: Medan perang tampak seperti awan ribut peperangan yang maha luas—padat dengan gajah, kuda dan kereta perang. Senjata yang tidak terbilang meluru ke hadapan bagaikan angin timur yang kencang, dan gada-gada berkilat seperti kilat. Ngeri dipandang, awan perang itu—didorong oleh Droṇācārya seolah-olah oleh angin—mencurahkan hujan anak panah dalam aliran deras ke atas bala Pāṇḍava dari setiap penjuru, menyala ganas bagaikan api.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in portraying how war, under a powerful commander, becomes an impersonal, storm-like mechanism—suggesting the overwhelming, dehumanizing momentum of violence and the grave responsibility borne by leaders who ‘drive’ it.
Sañjaya describes the battle as a gigantic war-cloud: troops of elephants, horses, and chariots form its mass; weapons move like a strong east wind; maces flash like lightning; and, under Droṇa’s direction, torrents of arrows fall upon the Pāṇḍava forces on all sides.
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