Shloka 26
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
नैव स्वे न परे राजन प्राज्ञायन्त तमोवृते
naiva sve na pare rājan prājñāyanta tamo-vṛte
Sañjaya sprach: O König, als alles von Dunkelheit umhüllt war, konnten die Menschen weder die Eigenen noch die Gegner erkennen—Weisheit und Wiedererkennen versagten in diesem verhüllenden Grau.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the mind and environment are overwhelmed by 'tamas' (darkness/obscuration), discernment collapses: one cannot clearly distinguish friend from foe, right from wrong, or even one’s own position. The verse highlights how ignorance and confusion can dominate in the extremity of war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a darkness had enveloped the scene, and in that obscurity the warriors could not recognize who was on their own side and who was on the enemy’s side—indicating battlefield chaos and loss of clear perception.