Mahabharata 6.59.43 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 59, Shloka 43
भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः
The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat
(ततः सरथनागाश्चा जयं प्राप्प ससोमका: । पज्चाला: पाण्डवाश्रैव प्रणेदुश्चव पुनः पुनः ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
tataḥ sa-ratha-nāgāś ca jayaṃ prāpya sa-somakāḥ |
pañcālāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva praṇeduś ca punaḥ punaḥ ||
prayayuḥ śibirāyaiva dhanañjaya-puraskṛtāḥ |
vāditra-ghoṣaiḥ saṃhṛṣṭāḥ pranṛtyanto mahā-rathāḥ ||
tato ’vahāraḥ sainyānāṃ tava teṣāṃ ca bhārata |
astaṃ gacchati sūrye ’bhūt sandhyā-kāle ca vartati ||
তারপর রথ, হাতি ও ঘোড়াসহ সোমক, পাঞ্চাল ও পাণ্ডববীরেরা বিজয় লাভ করে বারবার সিংহনাদ করতে লাগল। ধনঞ্জয় অর্জুনকে অগ্রে রেখে সেই মহারথীরা বিজয়বাদ্যের গর্জনে উল্লসিত হয়ে নৃত্য করতে করতে শিবিরের দিকে রওনা দিল। অতঃপর, হে ভারত! সূর্য অস্ত গেলে এবং সন্ধ্যা নামলে, আপনার ও তাদের—উভয় সেনাই যুদ্ধক্ষেত্র থেকে প্রত্যাবর্তন করল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, conduct follows recognizable boundaries: the arrival of sunset and sandhyā marks a natural and customary pause, and armies withdraw. The passage also highlights how leadership (Arjuna placed foremost) organizes collective action, while victory is expressed through communal ritual—shouts and instruments—rather than indiscriminate violence.
After gaining an advantage, the Somakas, Pañcālas, and Pāṇḍavas celebrate loudly, with martial music and repeated roars. They proceed back to their camp with Arjuna leading. As the sun sets and twilight comes, both sides—your army and theirs—return from the battlefield to their respective encampments.
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