Shloka 676
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
योधा: पर्यपतन् राजन् शतशो5थ सहसख्रश: | राजन! शूरवीरोंके उस संघर्षमें सब ओरसे सैकड़ों-हजारों योद्धा टूट पड़े और वे एक- दूसरेकी और देखने लगे
yodhāḥ paryapatan rājan śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, dalam pertembungan para wira itu, para pejuang menyerbu dari segala arah—beratus-ratus dan beribu-ribu—merapat antara satu sama lain dan menatap lawan masing-masing ketika pertempuran menguncup menjadi pertemuan berdepan-depan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming momentum of war: once collective violence is unleashed, individuals are swept into mass confrontation. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a space where human agency is pressured by numbers, fury, and the immediacy of facing an opponent—highlighting the tragic escalation that dharma seeks to restrain.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, amid the heroes’ struggle, warriors charged in from all directions in vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—closing ranks and turning toward one another for direct engagement.