Shloka 393
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
तान् सर्वान् विमुखांक्षक्रे कांश्रिन्निन्ये यमक्षयम् । राजन! जो-जो प्रमुख महारथी द्रोणाचार्यके सामने आये, उन सबको उन्होंने युद्धसे विमुख कर दिया और कितनोंको यमलोक पहुँचा दिया
tān sarvān vimukhān cakre kāṁścin ninye yamakṣayam | rājan |
Sañjaya said: O King, he turned all of them away from the battle—driving them into retreat—and he sent some of them to Yama’s imperishable realm. The verse underscores the grim moral weight of war: prowess on the field can mean both the breaking of an enemy’s will and the irreversible taking of life.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dual outcome of martial power in dharma-yuddha contexts: it can force opponents into retreat (breaking their resolve) and it can also bring death. Implicitly, it points to the ethical gravity of warfare—victory is measured not only in tactical success but also in irreversible human cost.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior being described (contextually, a leading fighter in the Drona Parva battle) routed all who confronted him and killed some, sending them to Yama’s realm.