Shloka 12
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
उदीर्णाश्न हया राजन् वहन्तस्तत्र तत्र ह । बद्धखड्गनिषड्गाश्च विध्वस्तशिरसो हता:
sañjaya uvāca |
udīrṇāś ca hayā rājan vahantas tatra tatra ha |
baddha-khaḍga-niṣaṅgāś ca vidhvasta-śiraso hatāḥ |
jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O Hari, ang mga kabayo’y nagngangalit at wala nang pagpipigil, hinihila ang mga karwahe kung saan-saan. Ang mga mandirigmang may nakasabit pang espada at lalagyan ng palaso ay nakahandusay na patay, wasak ang mga ulo. Nang sumulong ang mga pangunahing mandirigma na may hangaring pumatay, ang sagupaan ay lumaki at naging isang malawak at magulong labanan.”
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.