Shloka 84
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
दीर्यते च महत् सैन्यं सृजजयानां महारणे
dīryate ca mahat sainyaṃ sṛñjayānāṃ mahāraṇe | tatra hastī-raśmi-cihna-yuktaḥ prājñaḥ karṇasya dhvajo dṛśyate | sa rājñāṃ senā-madhye sānandaṃ vicarati ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Sa dakilang labanan, ang malawak na hukbo ng mga Sṛñjaya ay napupunit at nagkakawatak-watak. O Kṛṣṇa, masdan—lumilitaw ang watawat ng marunong na si Karṇa, may tatak na lubid na pantali sa elepante. Buong tiwala at wari’y may galak, gumagalaw ito sa gitna ng mga hukbo ng mga hari.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how swiftly the balance of war can turn: even a vast, dharma-aligned host can be shattered when confronted by concentrated prowess. Ethically, it highlights the tragic cost of kṣatriya warfare—valor and exultation coexist with the disintegration of armies and the looming suffering that follows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Sṛñjaya forces are being ripped apart in the great battle. He points out Karṇa’s banner—distinguished by an elephant-tether-rope emblem—moving exultantly among the armies of kings, indicating Karṇa’s aggressive advance and battlefield dominance at that moment.