Shloka 7
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
विधमेदभ्रजालानि यथा वायु: समुद्धत: । व्यधमत् तान्यनीकानि तथैव पवनात्मज:
vidhamed abhra-jālāni yathā vāyuḥ samuddhataḥ | vyadhamat tāny anīkāni tathaiva pavanātmajaḥ ||
विधमेदभ्रजालानि यथा वायुः समुद्धतः । व्यधमत् तान्यनीकानि तथैव पवनात्मजः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a nature-simile to show how overwhelming force can dissolve even well-ordered formations. Ethically, it underscores that in war, organization and pride can be rendered futile by a superior power; it also frames heroic action as impersonal and elemental—like wind—rather than petty cruelty.
Sañjaya describes Pavanātmaja (Hanūmān) dispersing enemy battle-arrays. The comparison is to a storm-wind breaking up dense cloud-masses, emphasizing speed, turbulence, and irresistible impact on the battlefield.