Shloka 723
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
पज्चालैर्मानसादेत्य हंसैर्गड़ेव वेगितै: । “जैसे वेगशाली हंस मानसरोवरसे निकलकर गंगाजीपर सब ओरसे छा जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार पांचाल-सैनिकोंद्वारा दुर्योधनकी यह विशाल सेना चारों ओरसे आक्रान्त हो रही है
Pañcālair mānasād etya haṃsair gaṅgeva vegitaiḥ | yathā vegāś ca haṃsā mānasarovarān nirgatyā gaṅgāyāṃ sarvataḥ chādayanti, tathā pañcāla-sainikaiḥ duryodhanasya eṣā viśālā senā sarvataḥ ākrāntā bhavati |
桑阇耶说道：“正如迅捷的天鹅自玛那萨罗瓦罗湖振翅而出，从四面八方铺满恒河；般遮罗诸军亦从各方逼近，合围并压倒都利约陀那那浩大的军势。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer size and prideful confidence do not guarantee security in war; when strategy, unity, and moral resolve align, an apparently stronger force can be encircled and destabilized. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven leadership invites reversal and vulnerability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pañcāla troops are rapidly closing in from all directions upon Duryodhana’s large army. He illustrates their swift, spreading advance through a vivid simile of fast swans streaming from Mānasarovara and covering the Gaṅgā.