Shloka 16
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
कृतास्त्रा रणदीक्षाभिदीक्षिता रणशालिन: । रणे जयं प्रार्थयाना भूशं युयुधिरे तदा,अस्त्रविद्याके ज्ञाता और युद्धमें शोभा पानेवाले वीर रणयज्ञकी दीक्षा लेकर संग्राममें विजय चाहते हुए उस समय बड़े जोरसे युद्ध करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | kṛtāstrā raṇadīkṣābhidīkṣitā raṇaśālinaḥ | raṇe jayaṃ prārthayānā bhṛśaṃ yuyudhire tadā ||
Sañjaya said: Those heroes, accomplished in the use of weapons and resplendent in battle, having undertaken the consecration for the war-sacrifice, fought fiercely at that time—seeking victory in the combat. The verse frames the clash not as mere violence but as a grimly ritualized undertaking, where martial skill and the will to win drive the warriors into relentless engagement.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war is psychologically and culturally framed as a solemn, vow-bound undertaking—almost a sacrifice—where trained warriors, seeking victory, commit themselves fully. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of ritualizing violence: discipline and duty can intensify conflict even as they lend it a sense of legitimacy.
Sañjaya reports that the combatants—skilled in weaponry and famed for battlefield prowess—have taken up the 'war-initiation' and are now fighting with great ferocity, driven by the desire to win the battle.