अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
अद्य सप्तदशाहानि वर्तमानस्यथ भारत । संग्रामस्थातिघोरस्य वध्यतां चाभितो युधि,“भारत! परस्पर मार-काट मचाते हुए दोनों ओरसे योद्धाओंके इस अत्यन्त भयंकर संग्रामको आरम्भ हुए आज सत्रह दिन हो गये
adya saptadaśāhāni vartamānasyatha bhārata | saṅgrāmasthātighorasya vadhyatāṃ cābhito yudhi ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), heute ist der siebzehnte Tag, seit diese überaus schreckliche Schlacht begann – ringsum im Kampf werden Krieger in gegenseitigem Gemetzel erschlagen.“
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the relentless escalation and moral weight of prolonged warfare: as days pass, slaughter becomes routine, highlighting the tragic cost of adharma-driven conflict and the urgency of discerning right action amid collective ruin.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the great battle has reached its seventeenth day and remains extremely fierce, with warriors on both sides being killed all around in the ongoing fighting.