Shloka 48
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
अवधीत् समरे पुत्र पिता भरतसत्तम
avadhīt samare putraḥ pitā bharatasattama
Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Getümmel der Schlacht erschlug der Sohn den Vater, o Bester der Bhāratas—eine völlige Umkehr der natürlichen Pflicht, die zeigt, wie der Krieg Verwandte zu Taten treibt, welche die gewöhnliche sittliche Ordnung verletzen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral collapse that prolonged war can cause: even the most fundamental bonds—between father and son—can be overturned, warning that violence corrodes dharma and natural human obligations.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, during the fighting, a son killed his own father—an episode presented as a shocking sign of the battle’s extremity and the breakdown of familial restraint.