Shloka 15
अर्धासिभिस्तथा खड्गैस्तोमरै: सपरश्वधैः । निकृष्टयुद्धं संसक्तं महदासीत् सुदारुणम्,एक ओर धारवाली और दुधारी तलवारों, तोमरों तथा फरसोंद्वारा जो अत्यन्त निकटसे युद्ध चल रहा था, वह भी बहुत ही क्रूरतापूर्ण एवं भयंकर था
ardhāsibhistathā khaḍgaistomaraiḥ saparaśvadhaiḥ | nikṛṣṭayuddhaṃ saṃsaktaṃ mahadāsīt sudāruṇam ||
Sañjaya said: With half-swords and full swords, with tomara-spears and with axes, the fighting closed to point-blank range; it became a great and exceedingly dreadful slaughter. The verse underscores how, when battle collapses into intimate hand-to-hand violence, the scale of harm and the cruelty of human action intensify, eclipsing restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war when it turns into close-quarters killing: proximity removes distance and makes violence more personal, revealing how quickly restraint (dharma) can be overwhelmed by rage, fear, and the momentum of battle.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield escalating into tightly engaged hand-to-hand fighting, with warriors using swords, spears, and axes at very close range, resulting in a massive and terrifyingly cruel clash.