संजय उवाच
समं व्यूढेष्व् अनीकेषु संनद्धा रुचिरध्वजाः ॥
अपारम् इव संदृश्य सागरप्रतिमं बलम् ॥
तेषां मध्ये स्थितो राजा पुत्रो दुर्योधनस् तव ॥
अब्रवीत् तावकान् सर्वान् युध्यध्वम् इति दंशिताः ॥
ते मनः क्रूरम् आस्थाय समभित्यक्तजीविताः ॥
पाण्डवान् अभ्यवर्तन्त सर्व एवोच्छ्रितध्वजाः ॥
ततो युद्धं समभवत् तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम् ॥
तावकानां परेषां च व्यतिषक्तरथद्विपम् ॥
मुक्तास् तु रथिभिर् बाणा रुक्मपुङ्खाः सुतेजनाः ॥
संनिपेतुर् अकुण्ठाग्रा नागेषु च हयेषु च ॥
तथा प्रवृत्ते संग्रामे धनुर् उद्यम्य दंशितः ॥
अभिपत्य महाबाहुर् भीष्मो भीमपराक्रमः ॥
सौभद्रे भीमसेने च शैनेये च महारथे ॥
केकये च विराटे च धृष्टद्युम्ने च पार्षते ॥
एतेषु नरवीरेषु चेदिमत्स्येषु चाभितः ॥
ववर्ष शरवर्षाणि वृद्धः कुरुपितामहः ॥
प्राकम्पत महाव्यूहस् तस्मिन् वीरसमागमे ॥
सर्वेषाम् एव सैन्यानाम् आसीद् व्यतिकरो महान् ॥
सादितध्वजनागाश् च हतप्रवरवाजिनः ॥
विप्रयातरथानीकाः समपद्यन्त पाण्डवाः ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
samaṃ vyūḍheṣv anīkeṣu saṃnaddhā ruciradhvajāḥ ||
apāram iva saṃdṛśya sāgarapratimaṃ balam ||
teṣāṃ madhye sthito rājā putro duryodhanas tava ||
abravīt tāvakān sarvān yudhyadhvam iti daṃśitāḥ ||
te manaḥ krūram āsthāya samabhityaktajīvitāḥ ||
pāṇḍavān abhyavartanta sarva evocchritadhvajāḥ ||
tato yuddhaṃ samabhavat tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam ||
tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca vyatiṣaktarathadvipam ||
muktās tu rathibhir bāṇā rukmapuṅkhāḥ sutejanāḥ ||
saṃnipetur akuṇṭhāgrā nāgeṣu ca hayeṣu ca ||
tathā pravṛtte saṃgrāme dhanur udyamya daṃśitaḥ ||
abhipatya mahābāhur bhīṣmo bhīmaparākramaḥ ||
saubhadre bhīmasene ca śaineye ca mahārathe ||
kekaye ca virāṭe ca dhṛṣṭadyumne ca pārṣate ||
eteṣu naravīreṣu cedimatsyeṣu cābhitaḥ ||
vavarṣa śaravarṣāṇi vṛddhaḥ kurupitāmahaḥ ||
prākampata mahāvyūhas tasmin vīrasamāgame ||
sarveṣām eva sainyānām āsīd vyatikaro mahān ||
sāditadhvajanāgāś ca hatapravaravājinaḥ ||
viprayātarathānīkāḥ samapadyanta pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Sanjaya said: "When the armies were evenly arrayed, armed and adorned with splendid banners, and the force, boundless as the ocean, seemed limitless, King Duryodhana, your son, standing among them, said to all your warriors: 'Fight, armed as you are!' Then they, having steeled their hearts to cruelty and as if having renounced their lives, all advanced upon the Pandavas with raised banners. After that a terrible, tumultuous battle broke out between your men and the enemy, in which chariots and elephants became intermingled. Gold-feathered arrows, sharp and unblunted at the point, loosed by the charioteers, converged upon elephants and horses. When the battle had thus flared up, the mighty-armed Bhishma of terrible valor, raising his bow, charged forth and poured down showers of arrows upon Saubhadra, Bhimasena, the great chariot-warrior Shaineya, Kekaya, Virata, Dhrishtadyumna Parshata, and all around upon the heroes of the Chedis and Matsyas. Then the great formation trembled at this meeting of heroes, and great confusion arose in all the armies. The Pandavas had their banners and elephants brought down, their best horses slain, and their chariot ranks thrown into disorder."
fc345fc56cef · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Right after the exalted array is formed, the armies fall into confusion. This is an important lesson of the epic: outward form is necessary, but without inner steadiness it is quickly tested by the force of old karma.