Shloka 18
(चेदिकाशिपदातैश्न रथै: पाउ्चालसूंजयै: । सहिता: पाण्डवा: सर्वे धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमा: ।। तावकान् समरे जघ्नुर्धर्मपुत्रेण चोदिता: ।) इधर चेदि और काशिदेशके पैदलसैनिकोंके तथा पांचाल और सुूंजयदेशके रथियोंसहित धृष्टद्युम्म आदि समस्त पाण्डववीर धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञासे समरभूमिमें आपके सैनिकोंका संहार करने लगे। रथिभिवररिणैरश्वै: पादातैश्व समीरितम् । घोरमायोधनं चक्रे महा भ्रसदृशं रज:,रथियों, हाथियों, घोड़ों और पैदलोंके पैरोंसे उड़ी हुई धूलराशिने मेघोंकी भारी घटाके समान आकाशकमें व्याप्त होकर उस युद्धको भयंकर बना दिया
sañjaya uvāca | cedikāśi-padātaiś ca rathaiḥ pāñcāla-sūñjayaiḥ | sahitāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ sarve dhṛṣṭadyumna-purogamāḥ || tāvakān samare jaghnur dharmaputreṇa coditāḥ | rathibhir varavāraṇair aśvaiḥ pādātaiś ca samīritam | ghoram āyodhanaṃ cakre mahābhrasadṛśaṃ rajaḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Deste lado, unidos à infantaria de Cedi e de Kāśī e aos guerreiros de carro dos Pāñcālas e dos Sūñjayas, todos os heróis Pāṇḍava—com Dhṛṣṭadyumna à frente—começaram a abater as tuas tropas no campo de batalha, instigados por Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira). E a poeira terrível, levantada pelo movimento dos carros, de excelentes elefantes, cavalos e infantes, espalhou-se pelo céu como uma massa de nuvens de tempestade, tornando o combate ainda mais assustador.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic leadership in wartime: Yudhiṣṭhira’s command (as Dharmaputra) frames action as duty-bound and organized rather than merely impulsive, while the vivid dust-cloud imagery underscores the grave, dehumanizing scale and consequences of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas, led by Dhṛṣṭadyumna and supported by allied forces from Cedi, Kāśī, Pāñcāla, and Sūñjaya, are attacking and killing the Kaurava troops; the movement of chariots, elephants, horses, and infantry raises a massive dust cloud that makes the battlefield scene more terrifying.