Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
सेनाग्रादपि निष्पत्य प्रायुध्यंस्तत्र मानवा: । उभयो: सेनयो राजन् व्यतिषक्तरथद्वधिपा:,वहाँ सेनाके अग्रभागसे भी निकलकर (व्यूह छोड़कर) वीर सैनिक युद्ध करते थे। राजन! दोनों सेनाओंके रथ और हाथी परस्पर भिड़ गये
senāgrād api niṣpatya prāyudhyantas tatra mānavāḥ | ubhayoḥ senayo rājan vyatiṣakta-ratha-dvipāḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O Hari, may ilang mandirigmang sumuong pa nga mula sa pinakaharap ng hanay ng digmaan at doon ay naglaban nang dikit-dikit. Ang mga karwaheng pandigma at mga elepante ng magkabilang hukbo ay nagsalpukan at nagkakabuhol sa isa’t isa.”
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how, once battle is joined, even carefully arranged formations can dissolve into close-quarters chaos; it implicitly highlights the gravity of kṣatriya warfare where discipline is tested and the consequences of conflict become immediate and entangling for both sides.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that warriors surged out from the vanguard beyond the formal battle-array and fought directly; meanwhile, the chariots and elephants of both armies collided and became locked together in the press of battle.