Shloka 16
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
तद् दृष्टवोपस्थितं युद्ध समासन्न॑ं महात्ययम्
tad dṛṣṭvopasthitaṃ yuddhaṃ samāsannaṃ mahātyayam
Seeing that the war had already presented itself—imminent and fraught with vast calamity—Vaiśaṃpāyana frames the moment as one where conflict is no longer abstract, but a near, unavoidable crisis carrying grave moral and human consequences.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of war: when conflict becomes imminent, it is recognized not merely as a political event but as a 'mahātyaya'—a great calamity—implying that leaders and parties bear heightened responsibility for the consequences.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, marks a turning point: the prospect of battle has become immediate and unavoidable, setting the stage for decisions and actions taken under the shadow of impending catastrophe.