Shloka 49
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु धृष्टद्युम्नपुरस्कृता: । आययु: पाण्डवा राजन् विनिध्नन्त: सम तावकम्
tatasteṣu prayāteṣu dhṛṣṭadyumnapuraskṛtāḥ | āyayuḥ pāṇḍavā rājan vidhinantaḥ sma tāvakam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als jene Krieger fortgezogen waren, rückten die Pāṇḍavas — Dhṛṣṭadyumna an der Spitze der Vorhut — vor, o König, und schlugen deine Truppen nieder. Der Vers betont den unerbittlichen Schwung der Schlacht: Führung an der Front beflügelt koordiniertes Handeln, und die ethische Spannung des Krieges bleibt unausgesprochen, während der Sieg durch notwendige Gewalt im Rahmen des anerkannten Schlachtkodex gesucht wird.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of leadership and formation in warfare: with a capable commander at the forefront, an army advances decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—duty-bound action in war can be resolute and organized, yet it remains morally weighty because it involves the destruction of kin and compatriots.
After certain warriors have moved away or departed, the Pāṇḍavas, with Dhṛṣṭadyumna leading from the front, advance against the Kaurava forces and begin striking them down, as Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra.