Shloka 313
न्यपातयंस्तदा युद्धे नरा: सम विजयैषिण: । जो हाथकी पकड़में आ गये या छू गये, वे अपने हों या पराये, विजयकी इच्छा रखनेवाले मनुष्य उन्हें तत्काल युद्धमें मार गिराते थे
nyapātayaṃs tadā yuddhe narāḥ samā vijayaiṣiṇaḥ | yo hastakī-pakaḍa-meṃ ā gaye yā chū gaye, ve apane hoṃ yā parāye, vijayakī icchā rakhanevāle manuṣya unheṃ tatkāl yuddha-meṃ mār girāte the |
Sañjaya said: In that battle, men driven by the hunger for victory struck down without delay. Whoever came within their grasp—or even their touch—whether friend or foe, was immediately felled amid the fighting.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how obsession with victory in war can override moral discrimination: in the heat of combat, mere closeness becomes grounds for killing, and the usual distinctions of ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’ collapse. It implicitly warns that victory-seeking, when unchecked by dharma, intensifies cruelty and indiscriminate violence.
Sañjaya describes the ferocity of the fighting: warriors eager to win are cutting down anyone who comes within reach or even contact, regardless of side. It is a snapshot of chaotic close-quarters combat where survival and conquest dominate decision-making.