Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
“आप वैरके समुद्रसे पार हो गये, जहाँ पहुँचना दूसरे लोगोंके लिये अत्यन्त कठिन है। दूसरे किसीके लिये ऐसा पराक्रम कर दिखाना सर्वथा असम्भव है ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
āp vairake samudrāt pārāṃ gatāḥ, yatra gantum anyeṣāṃ janānām atyantaṃ duṣkaram |
anyena kenacid evaṃvidhaṃ parākramaṃ kartuṃ sarvathā aśakyam ||
kuñjareṇeva mattena vīra saṅgrāmamūrdhani |
duryodhanaśiro diṣṭyā pādena mṛditaṃ tvayā ||
قال سانجيا: «لقد عبرتَ بحر العداوة وبلغتَ شاطئًا يعسر على غيرك بلوغه غاية العسر. وليس لأحدٍ سواك أن يُظهر مثل هذه البسالة؛ فذلك مستحيلٌ كل الاستحالة. أيها البطل—كسيّد الفيلة الثمل—في مقدّمة المعركة نفسها، وبحسن الطالع، سحقتَ رأسَ دوريودhana تحت قدمك».
संजय उवाच
The passage frames victory in war as a near-impossible crossing of a ‘sea of enmity,’ highlighting both extraordinary human effort (parākrama) and the role of fortune (diṣṭyā). Ethically, it underscores how martial success is praised within kṣatriya norms, even when expressed through brutal imagery, while also hinting at the precariousness of power and the suddenness of downfall.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praising the addressed warrior’s exceptional feat: at the battle’s forefront, Duryodhana’s head is said to have been crushed underfoot, compared to the trampling force of a rutting elephant. The lines intensify the sense of decisive, overwhelming victory and Duryodhana’s humiliation.