Shloka 12
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
उदीर्णाश्न हया राजन् वहन्तस्तत्र तत्र ह । बद्धखड्गनिषड्गाश्च विध्वस्तशिरसो हता:,जिघांसन्तं युधां श्रेष्ठ तदा55सीत् तुमुलं महत् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! पाण्डवपक्षके लाखों क्षत्रियशिरोमणि महारथी विराट सेनापति शूरवीर श्वेतको आगे करके आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको अपना बल दिखाते हुए शिखण्डीको सामने रखकर भीष्मके सुवर्णभूषित रथपर चढ़ आये। भारत! वे महारथी श्लेतकी रक्षा करना चाहते थे। इसलिये उसे मारनेकी इच्छावाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मपर उन्होंने धावा किया। उस समय बड़ा भयंकर युद्ध छिड़ गया
sañjaya uvāca |
udīrṇāś ca hayā rājan vahantas tatra tatra ha |
baddha-khaḍga-niṣaṅgāś ca vidhvasta-śiraso hatāḥ |
jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó rei, os cavalos, enlouquecidos e fora de controle, arrastavam seus carros de guerra para cá e para lá. Guerreiros com espadas e aljavas ainda presas jaziam mortos, com as cabeças despedaçadas. Quando os mais eminentes combatentes avançaram com intenção de matar, o choque cresceu e tornou-se uma batalha vasta e tumultuosa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the intention to kill (jighāṃsā) and the momentum of battle quickly dissolve control and order: even horses run wild and the battlefield becomes a tumult (tumula). Ethically, it highlights the destructive cascade of violence—once unleashed, it overwhelms both victors and victims, reminding the listener that war’s ‘dharma’ is inseparable from grave human cost.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the fighting has become extremely fierce: horses, excited and uncontrolled, pull chariots in random directions; many warriors lie dead with weapons still strapped on; and the leading fighters surge forward with lethal intent, producing a great uproar and confusion on the battlefield.