Shloka 25
कथं पारमगत्वा हि युद्धे त्वं वै जिजीविषु: । इमान् निपतितान दृष्ट्वा पुत्रान् भ्रातृन् पितूंस्तथा,'युद्धसे पार पाये बिना ही तुम्हें जीवित रहनेकी इच्छा कैसे हो गयी? तात! रणभूमिमें गिरे हुए इन पुत्रों, भाइयों और चाचे-ताउओंको देखकर सम्बन्धियों, मित्रों, मामाओं और बन्धु-बान्धवोंका वध कराकर इस समय तालाबमें क्यों छिपे बैठे हो?
sañjaya uvāca | kathaṁ pāram agatvā hi yuddhe tvaṁ vai jijīviṣuḥ | imān nipatitān dṛṣṭvā putrān bhrātṝn pitṝṁs tathā |
Sañjaya said: “How is it that, without reaching the far shore—without seeing the battle through to its end—you have now become intent on preserving your life? Seeing these sons, brothers, and elders fallen on the field, how can you still cling to survival?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical rebuke: after so much kin-slaying and devastation, seeking personal survival before completing one’s martial responsibility is portrayed as morally incoherent. It highlights the tension between self-preservation and the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness and accountability in war.
Sañjaya reports a pointed question addressed to a warrior who, despite the battlefield being strewn with fallen relatives (sons, brothers, elders), now appears to be trying to save himself rather than face the battle to its conclusion. The line underscores the grim aftermath of the war and condemns retreat or hiding at this stage.