Shloka 10
Bhīṣma-parva Adhyāya 16 — Saṃjaya’s Boon, Bhīṣma’s Protection, and the Dawn Arraying of Armies
गजा: पदाता रथिनस्तुरगाश्न विशाम्पते । व्यतिष्ठन् वागुराकारा: शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,प्रजानाथ! हाथी, घोड़े, पैदल और रथी, शत्रुओंको बाँधनेके लिये जाल-से बनकर एक- एक जगह सैकड़ों और हजारोंकी संख्यामें खड़े थे
gajāḥ padātā rathinas turagāś ca viśāmpate | vyatiṣṭhan vāgurākārāḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya thưa: “Muôn tâu bậc chúa của muôn dân, voi chiến, bộ binh, chiến xa và kỵ mã đứng án ngữ—hàng trăm, hàng nghìn—bày ra như một tấm lưới, như thể để giăng bẫy trói buộc quân thù.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined organization and strategic coordination in war: forces are arranged like a net to contain and overpower the opponent. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—skill and order in battle can be admirable as kṣatriya-dharma, yet the same efficiency also intensifies destruction.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the battlefield forces—elephants, foot-soldiers, charioteers, and cavalry—have taken positions in large numbers, forming a net-like array intended to trap or bind the enemy’s movement.