Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 50 — Arjuna’s foreboding and lament for Abhimanyu; Kṛṣṇa’s dharma-consolation
तथा तदायोधनमुमग्रदर्शनं निशामुखे पितृपतिराष्ट्रवर्धनम् । निरीक्षमाणा: शनकैर्जहुर्नरा: समुत्थिता नृत्तकबन्धसंकुलम्,प्रदोषकालमें यमराजके राज्यकी वृद्धि करनेवाली वह युद्धभूमि बड़ी भयंकर दिखायी देती थी। वहाँ सब ओर नाचते हुए कबन्ध (धड़) व्याप्त हो रहे थे। यह सब देखते हुए उभय पक्षके योद्धाओंने वहाँसे धीरे-धीरे चलकर उस युद्धस्थलको त्याग दिया
tathā tadā yodhanam ugra-darśanaṁ niśā-mukhe pitṛ-patirāṣṭra-vardhanam | nirīkṣamāṇāḥ śanakair jahur narāḥ samutthitā nṛtta-kabandha-saṅkulam, pradoṣa-kāle ||
Sañjaya said: At dusk that battlefield appeared terrifying to behold, like a realm of Yama, Lord of the Fathers, where the dominion of Death swelled. Seeing it filled on every side with headless trunks that rose as if to dance, the warriors of both sides slowly withdrew and abandoned the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential cost of war: the battlefield becomes like Yama’s expanding realm, confronting warriors with the grotesque aftermath of violence. Even those committed to kṣatriya duty recoil, suggesting that dharma in war is shadowed by suffering and the inevitability of death.
At twilight the battlefield looks extremely dreadful, crowded with headless torsos that appear to move like dancers. Witnessing this, warriors from both sides slowly withdraw and leave the battlefield as evening falls.