Shloka 21
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
व्यूह्म व्यूहं महाराज सर्वतो भद्रमृद्धिमत् प्रत्युद्ययौ रणे पार्थान् मद्रराज: प्रतापवान्,महाराज! तब प्रतापी महारथी मद्रराज शल्यने उन योद्धाओंको आश्वासन दे समृद्धिशाली सर्वतोभद्रनामक व्यूह बनाकर भारनाशक, अत्यन्त वेगशाली और विचित्र धनुषको कँपाते हुए सिंधी घोड़ोंसे युक्त श्रेष्ठ रथपर आरूढ़ हो पाण्डवोंपर आक्रमण किया
sañjaya uvāca |
vyūhya vyūhaṁ mahārāja sarvato-bhadram ṛddhimat |
pratyudyayau raṇe pārthān madrarājaḥ pratāpavān ||
mahārāja! tadā pratāpī mahārathī madrarājaḥ śalyaḥ tān yoddhān āśvāsya samṛddhiśālinaṁ sarvato-bhadranāmakaṁ vyūhaṁ kṛtvā bhāranāśakaḥ atyanta-vegāś ca vicitra-dhanuḥ kampayan sindhī-ghoḍaiḥ yukta-śreṣṭha-rathārūḍhaḥ pāṇḍavān abhyakrāmat |
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, penguasa Madra yang gagah, Śalya, setelah menyusun bala tenteranya dalam formasi makmur bernama “Sarvatobhadra”, mara ke medan untuk menyongsong putera-putera Pāṇḍu. Lalu pahlawan kereta perang yang perkasa itu, sesudah menguatkan hati para pejuangnya, menaiki kereta unggul yang ditarik kuda-kuda Sindhī; sambil menggoncang busur ajaibnya dengan kelajuan yang dahsyat, dia melancarkan serangan ke atas Pāṇḍava—mendorong perang ke hadapan melalui disiplin formasi dan tekad kepahlawanan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya leadership in war: a commander must organize troops into a coherent formation, strengthen morale, and act decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s focus on disciplined action and responsibility in one’s role, even amid the tragic inevitability of battle.
Sanjaya reports to the king that Śalya, the Madra ruler and a great chariot-warrior, arranges his army into the Sarvatobhadra formation, encourages his warriors, mounts a chariot drawn by Sindhī horses, brandishes his bow, and advances to attack the Pāṇḍavas.