Shloka 86
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
ततो दन्तिसहस्राणि रथानां चापि मारिष | अश्वौघा: पुरुषौघाश्व विपरीतं समाययु:
tato dantisahasrāṇi rathānāṃ cāpi māriṣa | aśvaughāḥ puruṣaughāś ca viparītaṃ samāyayuḥ, ārya |
Disse Sañjaya: Então, ó venerável, milhares de elefantes e de carros, e também massas de cavalaria e massas de infantaria, abandonando a ordem anterior dos combates singulares, avançaram juntos de modo confuso e contrário—de tal sorte que todos lutaram contra todos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly agreed rules of combat can collapse under the pressure of war: when order and restraint fail, violence becomes indiscriminate. It implicitly contrasts dharma-based, regulated fighting with the ethical danger of chaotic, all-against-all slaughter.
Sañjaya reports that large formations—elephants, chariots, cavalry, and infantry—converge and begin fighting in a mixed, disorderly way, violating the previously described sequence or arrangement of duels and ranks.