Shloka 42
द्रोणनिन्दाश्रवणं तथा सात्यकि–पार्षतविवादः
Hearing the reproach of Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Pārṣata dispute
अतितीव्रं महद् युद्ध नरराक्षसयोस्तदा,भारत! उस समय वहाँ मनुष्य और राक्षसमें बड़े जोरसे महान् संग्राम होने लगा, जो समस्त दर्शकोंका आनन्द बढ़ानेवाला और गीध, कौए, बगले, उल्लू, कंक तथा गीदड़ोंको हर्ष प्रदान करनेवाला था
sañjaya uvāca | atitīvraṃ mahad yuddhaṃ nara-rākṣasayos tadā, bhārata |
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, at that time a most fierce and mighty battle arose there between the man and the rākṣasa—an encounter that heightened the excitement of the onlookers, while gladdening the carrion-eaters: vultures, crows, herons, owls, kanka-birds, and jackals.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical paradox of war: human conflict becomes entertainment for spectators and sustenance for scavengers. It implicitly critiques the normalization of violence—what appears as thrilling spectacle is, in truth, a field of death that benefits only those who feed on destruction.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that an extremely fierce combat has erupted between a human warrior and a rākṣasa. The battlefield is so deadly that carrion-eating birds and jackals are described as rejoicing, anticipating or consuming the fallen.