सर्वाणि सैन्यानि ततः प्रहृष्टो; निर्गच्छतेत्य् आह नृपांश् च सर्वान् ॥
तदाज्ञया तानि विनिर्ययुर् द्रुतं; रथाश्वपादातगजायुतानि ॥
प्रहर्षयुक्तानि तु तानि राजन्; महान्ति नानाविधशस्त्रवन्ति ॥
स्थितानि नागाश्वपदातिमन्ति; विरेजुर् आजौ तव राजन् बलानि ॥
वृन्दैः स्थिताश् चापि सुसंप्रयुक्ताश्; चकाशिरे दन्तिगणाः समन्तात् ॥
शस्त्रास्त्रविद्भिर् नरदेव योधैर्; अधिष्ठिताः सैन्यगणास् त्वदीयाः ॥
रथैश् च पादातगजाश्वसंघैः; प्रयाद्भिर् आजौ विधिवत् प्रणुन्नैः ॥
समुद्धतं वै तरुणार्कवर्णं; रजो बभौ छादयत् सूर्यरश्मीन् ॥
रेजुः पताका रथदन्तिसंस्था; वातेरिता भ्राम्यमाणाः समन्तात् ॥
नानारङ्गाः समरे तत्र राजन्; मेघैर् युक्ता विद्युतः खे यथैव ॥
धनूंषि विस्फारयतां नृपाणां; बभूव शब्दस् तुमुलो ऽतिघोरः ॥
विमथ्यतो देवमहासुरौघैर्; यथार्णवस्यादियुगे तदानीम् ॥
तद् उग्रनादं बहुरूपवर्णं; तवात्मजानां समुदीर्णम् एवम् ॥
बभूव सैन्यं रिपुसैन्यहन्तृ; युगान्तमेघौघनिभं तदानीम् ॥
sarvāṇi sainyāni tataḥ prahṛṣṭo; nirgacchatety āha nṛpāṃś ca sarvān ||
tadājñayā tāni viniryayur drutaṃ; rathāśvapādātagajāyutāni ||
praharṣayuktāni tu tāni rājan; mahānti nānāvidhaśastravanti ||
sthitāni nāgāśvapadātimanti; virejur ājau tava rājan balāni ||
vṛndaiḥ sthitāś cāpi susaṃprayuktāś; cakāśire dantigaṇāḥ samantāt ||
śastrāstravidbhir naradeva yodhair; adhiṣṭhitāḥ sainyagaṇās tvadīyāḥ ||
rathaiś ca pādātagajāśvasaṃghaiḥ; prayādbhir ājau vidhivat praṇunnaiḥ ||
samuddhataṃ vai taruṇārkavarṇaṃ; rajo babhau chādayat sūryaraśmīn ||
rejuḥ patākā rathadantisaṃsthā; vāteritā bhrāmyamāṇāḥ samantāt ||
nānāraṅgāḥ samare tatra rājan; meghair yuktā vidyutaḥ khe yathaiva ||
dhanūṃṣi visphārayatāṃ nṛpāṇāṃ; babhūva śabdas tumulo 'tighoraḥ ||
vimathyato devamahāsuraughair; yathārṇavasyādiyuge tadānīm ||
tad ugranādaṃ bahurūpavarṇaṃ; tavātmajānāṃ samudīrṇam evam ||
babhūva sainyaṃ ripusainyahantṛ; yugāntameghaughanibhaṃ tadānīm ||
Thereupon the delighted Duryodhana said to all the armies and all the kings: 'March forth!' At his command they quickly went out — with chariots, horses, infantry, and elephants. These great hosts, filled with exultation, bearing weapons of every kind, arrayed with elephants, horses, and infantry, shone in the battle, O king. The elephant divisions, standing in groups and well equipped, gleamed on every side; your troop divisions, lord of men, were led by warriors versed in weapons and astras. When the chariots and the masses of infantry, elephants, and horses, duly marshaled, advanced into battle, the risen dust, colored like the young sun, shone forth, veiling the rays of the sun. The banners, mounted on chariots and elephants, many-colored, stirred by the wind and whirling on every side, gleamed there in the battle, O king, like lightning amid the clouds in the sky. From the kings who drew their bows arose a tumultuous and exceedingly dreadful sound — like the roar of the ocean churned at the beginning of the age by the hosts of gods and asuras. Then the army of your sons, thus risen with a fierce roar, manifold in form and hue, destroying the enemy's forces, became like a mass of clouds at the end of the yuga.
5cfa53d14c9d · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:21 PM UTC
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After the personal exchange, the war again takes the form of a vast spectacle: banners, dust, elephants, chariots, and the roar of bows. But the image of the clouds at the end of the yuga strips away the outward splendor: this is not mere military might, but a movement toward destruction.