Shloka 316
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-समागमः
Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Engagement at Sunset
न्यहनत् पाण्डवीं सेनामासुरीमिव वृत्रहा । इसी बीचमें शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने पाण्डव-सेनाका उसी प्रकार विनाश आरम्भ किया, जैसे देवराज इन्द्र आसुरीसेनाका संहार करते हैं
nyahanat pāṇḍavīṁ senām āsurīm iva vṛtrahā |
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu, began to strike down the Pāṇḍava army—just as Vṛtrahā (Indra, slayer of Vṛtra) destroys the host of the Asuras. The simile casts Bhīṣma’s onslaught as overwhelming and godlike in force, while also underscoring the tragic moral tension of righteous warriors annihilating one another in a dharma-conflicted war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s moral tension: even the most venerable and dharma-minded warriors can become instruments of vast destruction when bound by kṣatriya duty and allegiance. The Indra–Asura comparison magnifies the force of action while inviting reflection on how power in war can resemble divine might yet still unfold within human ethical conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma has begun a fierce assault, cutting down the Pāṇḍava forces. The narration uses a mythic simile—Indra annihilating Asuras—to convey the scale and momentum of Bhīṣma’s attack.