Shloka 16
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
आशा बलवती राजन पुत्राणां ते5भवत्तदा,माननीय नरेश! द्रोणाचार्य, भीष्म तथा सूतपुत्र कर्णके मारे जानेपर आपके पुत्रोंके मनमें यह प्रबल आशा हो गयी कि शल्य रणभूमिमें सम्पूर्ण कुन्तीकुमारोंका वध कर डालेंगे
āśā balavatī rājan putrāṇāṃ te ’bhavat tadā | mānanīya nareśa droṇācārya-bhīṣma-sūtaputra-karṇe māre jāne ’paraṃ tava putrāṇāṃ manasi prabalāśā samajāyata yat śalyaḥ raṇabhūmau samastān kuntīkumarān vadhiṣyati ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, damals erhob sich in deinen Söhnen eine mächtige Hoffnung. Ehrwürdiger Herrscher! Nachdem Droṇa, Bhīṣma und Karṇa — der Sohn des Wagenlenkers — gefallen waren, wurden sie fest überzeugt, Śalya werde auf dem Schlachtfeld alle Söhne Kuntīs töten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war and moral crisis, people cling to hope as a psychological refuge even when circumstances and prior losses suggest decline. It implicitly warns that attachment to victory can distort judgment and prolong adharmic conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after the deaths of major Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Karṇa—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons place their remaining confidence in Śalya, believing he will destroy all the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield.