Shloka 44
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
तत्राक्रन्दो महानासीत् तव तेषां च भारत । (पाण्डवानां च राजेन्द्र सैनिकानां सुदारुण: ।) निध्नतां दृढमन्योन्यं कुर्वतां कर्म दुष्करम्,भारत! राजेन्द्र! एक-दूसरेपर सुदृढ़ प्रहार और दुष्कर पराक्रम करनेवाले आपके और पाण्डवोंके सैनिकोंमें अत्यन्त भयंकर महान् संग्राम होने लगा
sañjaya uvāca | tatrākrando mahān āsīt tava teṣāṃ ca bhārata | pāṇḍavānāṃ ca rājendra sainikānāṃ sudāruṇaḥ | nighnatāṃ dṛḍham anyonyaṃ kurvatāṃ karma duṣkaram |
Sañjaya said: There arose there a great and dreadful outcry among your warriors and those of the Pāṇḍavas, O Bhārata, O lord of kings. As they struck one another with unyielding force and attempted deeds hard to accomplish, the battle swelled into a most terrible clash.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical tension of war: even when framed as duty and valor, battle manifests as collective suffering—an outcry born from mutual, forceful violence. It invites reflection on the human cost that accompanies heroic ambition and ‘difficult feats’ on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a terrifying tumult erupts as the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava soldiers strike each other fiercely, each attempting arduous martial exploits; the fighting intensifies into a dreadful, chaotic clash.