Shloka 29
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय २: संजयस्य दिव्यदृष्टिप्रदानम् तथा निमित्तवर्णनम्
Granting Sañjaya Divine Sight and the Description of Omens
गृहीतशस्त्रा: क्रोशन्ति चर्मिणो वाजिपृष्ठगा: । अरुणोदये प्रदृश्यन्ते शतश: शलभव्रजा:
gṛhītaśastrāḥ krośanti carmiṇo vājipṛṣṭhagāḥ | aruṇodaye pradṛśyante śataśaḥ śalabhavrajāḥ ||
毗舍波耶那说：那些执兵持盾的骑士跨在马背上，高声呼号。黎明泛红之时，他们成百成群，遍布四方，宛如蝗群蔽野——显出战争那浩大而无名的洪流，淹没个人的自制，在群体狂热中考验着达摩。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war gathers momentum like a natural swarm: individual voices become part of a mass movement. This imagery invites reflection on dharma under pressure—how easily human agency is swept into collective aggression, and why ethical discernment is crucial even when the crowd surges toward violence.
At dawn on the battlefield, mounted warriors carrying shields and weapons raise loud cries. The narrator compares the sight of the many riders spreading across the field to swarms of locusts visible at sunrise, emphasizing the scale and ominous intensity of the approaching conflict.