Shloka 3
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
न मातुलं च स्वस्रीयो न सखायं सखा तथा । आविष्टा इव युध्यन्ते पाण्डवा: कुरुभि: सह,न भानजेने मामाको पहचाना, न मित्रने मित्रको। उस समय पाण्डव-योद्धा कौरव- सैनिकोंके साथ इस प्रकार युद्ध करते थे, मानो उनमें किसी ग्रह आदिका आवेश हो गया हो
na mātulaṃ ca svasrīyo na sakhāyaṃ sakhā tathā | āviṣṭā iva yudhyante pāṇḍavāḥ kurubhiḥ saha ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle the Pāṇḍava warriors fought the Kurus as if seized by a sudden overpowering force—showing no pause for kinship or friendship: not sparing a maternal uncle for a sister’s son, nor a friend for a friend. The demands of war had eclipsed personal ties, revealing how the frenzy of conflict can harden the heart and suspend ordinary social duties.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension of war: when violence escalates, even sacred bonds—uncle and nephew, friend and friend—can be disregarded. It warns how conflict can induce a near-possessed state (āviṣṭāḥ), eclipsing ordinary dharma rooted in family and friendship.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas are fighting the Kuru forces with relentless intensity, as though driven by an overpowering impulse, without making exceptions for relatives or friends on the opposing side.