तम् एकं रथवंशेन महता पर्यवारयन् ॥
विकर्षन्तश् च चापानि विसृजन्तश् च सायकान् ॥
अस्त्राणि च विचित्राणि क्रुद्धास् तत्र व्यदर्शयन् ॥
छादयन्तः शरैः पार्थं मेघा इव दिवाकरम् ॥
अभ्यद्रवन्त वेगेन क्षत्रियाः क्षत्रियर्षभम् ॥
रथसिंहं रथोदाराः सिंहं मत्ता इव द्विपाः ॥
tam ekaṃ rathavaṃśena mahatā paryavārayan ||
vikarṣantaś ca cāpāni visṛjantaś ca sāyakān ||
astrāṇi ca vicitrāṇi kruddhās tatra vyadarśayan ||
chādayantaḥ śaraiḥ pārthaṃ meghā iva divākaram ||
abhyadravanta vegena kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabham ||
rathasiṃhaṃ rathodārāḥ siṃhaṃ mattā iva dvipāḥ ||
Him alone they surrounded with a great host of chariots, and drawing their bows, and loosing shafts, and displaying, enraged, their various weapons there, covering Partha with arrows as clouds cover the sun. The kshatriyas rushed forward with speed upon the bull among kshatriyas, the noble charioteers upon the lion of chariots, as maddened elephants upon a lion.
ca7060fceb09 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
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Many against one: "tam ekaṃ rathavaṃśena mahatā" -- him alone, with an entire great host of chariots. The images are clouds upon the sun, maddened elephants upon a lion. It is telling that falsehood always falls upon the lone righteous one with numbers. The verse teaches that truth often stands alone against multitudes: like the sun amid clouds, like a lion amid elephants, the righteous is surrounded but not broken; and the numerical strength of the wicked is no strength at all, but only proof that against the light they have nothing to set but sheer numbers.