Shloka 61
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
यथा देवासूुरं युद्ध पूर्वमासीद् विशाम्पते । अभीतानां तथा राजन् यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्,राजन! प्रजानाथ! जैसे पूर्वकालमें देवताओं और असुरोंका युद्ध हुआ था, उसी प्रकार भयशून्य कौरवों और पाण्डवोंमें यमराजके राज्यकी वृद्धि करनेवाला भयंकर संग्राम होने लगा
yathā devāsuraṃ yuddhaṃ pūrvam āsīd viśāmpate | abhītānāṃ tathā rājan yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, just as in ancient times there was a war between the gods and the asuras, so now, O king, a dreadful battle began between the fearless Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas—one that swells the dominion of Yama, the Lord of Death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a cosmic-scale event whose immediate ethical consequence is the multiplication of death—“the increase of Yama’s realm.” It implicitly warns that even heroic fearlessness in battle culminates in mortality, urging reflection on the cost of violence and the gravity of kṣatriya action.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a terrifying battle has begun between the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas. He heightens the scene by comparing it to the primordial devas–asuras war and by stating that the slaughter will expand Yama’s dominion.