Shloka 40
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
ततो नाज्ञासिषं किंचिद् घोरेण तमसा5<वृते । सर्वभूतानि च परं त्रासं जम्मुर्महीपते,महीपते! फिर तो मैं घोर अन्धकारसे आवृत उस युद्धसस््थलमें कुछ भी जान न सका और समस्त प्राणी अत्यन्त भयभीत हो उठे
tato nājñāsiṣaṃ kiñcid ghoreṇa tamasāvṛte | sarvabhūtāni ca paraṃ trāsaṃ jagmur mahīpate ||
Sañjaya said: Then, as that battlefield was enveloped in dreadful darkness, I could discern nothing at all. And all beings, O king, were seized by the utmost terror.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, moral and perceptual order can collapse: when darkness (literal or symbolic) descends, discernment fails and fear spreads to all beings. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven conflict culminates in confusion and collective terror rather than clarity or righteous victory.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield suddenly became shrouded in dreadful darkness. Because of this, he could not perceive events clearly, and the combatants and creatures present were overwhelmed by intense fear.