Shloka 20
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
हयैरपि हयारोहाश्चलामरापीडधारिभि: । हंसैरिव महावेगैरन्योन्यमभिविद्रुता:,चँवर और कलंगीसे सुशोभित हंस-तुल्य सफेद एवं महान् वेगशाली घोड़ोंपर बैठे हुए कितने ही घुड़सवार एक-दूसरेपर धावा कर रहे थे
hayair api hayārohāś calāmarāpīḍadhāribhiḥ | haṃsair iva mahāvegair anyonyam abhividrutāḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Maging ang mga kabalyero, na may kumakaway na pamaypay na buntot-yak at mga palamuting may tuktok sa ulo, ay nakasakay sa mapuputing kabayong kasingbilis ng mga sisne na may malalaking pakpak, at sila’y nagsasalpukan sa isa’t isa sa biglaang pagsugod.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not state a direct moral injunction; it heightens awareness of how war can appear magnificent—swift white horses, royal emblems, disciplined riders—yet that very magnificence is directed toward mutual destruction. It invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of martial glory: beauty and prowess do not remove the burden of violence.
Sañjaya is narrating the Kurukṣetra battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Here he depicts cavalry units: horsemen adorned with cāmaras and crests, mounted on fast white horses likened to swans, charging at each other in close combat.