Shloka 42
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्
Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement
कितने ही कुलीन रथी अपने शरीरोंको निछावर करके भारी-से-भारी शक्ति लगाकर विपक्षी रथियोंके साथ निर्भयकी भाँति महान् पराक्रम प्रकट कर रहे थे ।। स्वयंवर इवामर्दे प्रजहुरितरेतरम् प्रार्थयाना यशो राजन् स्वर्ग वा युद्धेशालिन:,राजन! युद्धमें शोभा पानेवाले वीर स्वर्ग अथवा यश पानेकी इच्छा रखकर स्वयंवरकी भाँति उस युद्धमें एक-दूसरेपर प्रहार कर रहे थे
svayaṃvara ivāmarde prajahur itaretaram | prārthayānā yaśo rājan svargaṃ vā yuddhe śālinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the warriors who shone in battle struck one another down as though in a svayaṃvara—each seeking either glory or heaven. With fearless resolve and utmost exertion, many noble chariot-fighters offered up their very bodies and displayed great valor against opposing chariot-warriors.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kṣatriya ideal: warriors enter battle seeking either lasting renown (yaśas) or heavenly reward (svarga), accepting bodily sacrifice as the price of duty and valor. It frames combat as a public arena of merit and reputation, where fearlessness and exertion are ethically valorized within the war-code.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become a fierce mutual contest: distinguished fighters strike one another down relentlessly. The comparison to a svayaṃvara underscores the competitive intensity—each warrior ‘competes’ for the prize of glory or heaven through conspicuous bravery.