Shloka 17
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
रथी रथिनमासाद्य प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् । तथेतरान् समासाद्य नरनागाश्चसादिन:,रथीने रथीका सामना करके उसे यमलोक पहुँचा दिया। पैदल, हाथीसवार और घुड़सवारोंने भी एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर ऐसा ही किया
sañjaya uvāca | rathī rathinam āsādya prāhiṇod yamasādanam | tathā itarān samāsādya nara-nāgāś ca sādināḥ |
قال سنجيا: إنّ مقاتل العربة، حين دنا من مقاتل عربةٍ مثله، أرسله إلى دار يَما. وكذلك المشاة وراكبو الفيلة والفرسان، إذا لاقوا أندادهم في القتال القريب، أسقط بعضهم بعضًا صرعى.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: when combatants meet their equals, death becomes the immediate consequence. It implicitly reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—kṣatriya duty and valor operate within a tragic economy of reciprocal violence, where victory often means sending another to death.
Sañjaya describes intense close-quarters fighting: chariot-warriors clash with chariot-warriors, and similarly infantry, elephant-units, and cavalry engage their counterparts, each side striking down the other amid the chaos of the battle.