Shloka 6
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
तत्राकरोद् रथोपस्थान् शून्यान् शान्तनवो बहून्
tatrākarod rathopasthān śūnyān śāntanavo bahūn | jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Doon, si Bhīṣma, anak ni Śāntanu, ay nag-iwan ng maraming plataporma ng karwaheng pandigma na walang sakay na mandirigma. Nang sumugod ang mga pangunahing mandirigma na may hangaring pumatay, sumiklab ang labanan sa isang napakalawak at magulong sagupaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim dharmic tension of war: even when fighting is framed as a warrior’s duty, the intent to kill (jighāṃsā) and the resulting devastation are starkly presented, inviting reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the cost of martial excellence.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, fighting powerfully, renders many chariots ‘empty’ by felling or driving off their warriors; as elite fighters surge forward with lethal intent, the battle swells into a great, chaotic clash.