Mahabharata 9.14.46 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 14, Shloka 46
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
तत्र युद्ध महच्चासीदर्जुनस्य परै: सह । मध्यंदिनगते सूर्ये यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्,वहाँ दोपहर होते-होते अर्जुनका शत्रुओंके साथ महाघोर युद्ध होने लगा, जो यमराजके राष्ट्रकी वृद्धि करनेवाला था
tatra yuddhaṁ mahac cāsīd arjunasya paraiḥ saha | madhyaṁdina-gate sūrye yama-rāṣṭra-vivardhanam ||
قال سانجيا: هناك، حين بلغَتِ الشمسُ كبدَ السماء، نشبت بين أرجونا وأعدائه معركةٌ عظيمةٌ مروِّعة—معركةٌ زادت مُلكَ يَما (Yama) اتّساعًا، إذ دفعت بكثيرٍ من المحاربين إلى الموت. ويُبرز البيتُ ثِقَلَ الحرب الأخلاقي الكئيب: فحتى البأسُ البطولي، إذا أُطلق في قتالٍ جماعي، غدا أداةً تُنمّي سلطانَ الموت.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic ethical gravity of war: even a righteous warrior’s valor, when expressed in large-scale combat, results in widespread death—figuratively ‘increasing Yama’s realm.’ It invites reflection on the cost of violence and the inevitability of mortality amid dharmic conflict.
Sanjaya reports that by midday a massive, terrifying fight is underway between Arjuna and his enemies. The battle is so lethal that it is described as augmenting the kingdom of Yama, i.e., causing many deaths on the battlefield.
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