Shloka 23
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्
Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement
सहसा चाभववत् तीव्रं संनिपातान्महद् रज: । गजाश्वरथपत्तीनां पदनेमिसमुद्धतम्
sahasā cābhavattīvraṃ saṃnipātān mahad rajaḥ | gajāśvarathapattīnāṃ padanemisamuddhatam ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Bigla, mula sa marahas na sagupaan, umangat ang isang napakalaking ulap ng alikabok—makapal at mabagsik—na inihagis ng mga paa ng elepante, mga kuko ng kabayo, at ng gumugulong na gilid ng mga gulong ng karwahe, kasama ng mga yapak ng mga kawal na naglalakad.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a moral-narrative insight: when conflict erupts, it rapidly generates conditions—confusion, obscured vision, loss of discernment—that affect everyone. It implicitly warns that violence does not remain clean or controlled; it spreads disorder and moral haze along with physical dust.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the armies close in and collide, a massive dust-cloud suddenly rises, stirred by the trampling of elephants and horses, the movement of chariots, and the marching of infantry—signaling the intensity and scale of the engagement.