Shloka 33
Chapter 49: Sañjaya’s Enumeration of the Pāṇḍava Coalition (पाण्डवसैन्यसमागम-वर्णनम्)
तेन वः सहदेवेन युद्ध राजन् महात्ययम् । यवीयसा नृवीरेण माद्रीनन्दिकरेण च,राजन! इस भूमण्डलमें अश्वत्थामा, धृष्टकेतु, रुक्मी तथा प्रद्युम्न--ये चार पुरुष ही बल और पराक्रममें जिनकी समानता कर सकते हैं, जो माद्रीको आनन्द प्रदान करनेवाले तथा पाण्डवोंमें सबसे छोटे हैं, उन नरश्रेष्ठ वीर सहदेवके साथ आपलोगोंका महान् विनाशकारी युद्ध होनेवाला है
tena vaḥ sahadevena yuddhaṁ rājan mahātyayam | yavīyasā nṛvīreṇa mādrīnandikareṇa ca ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, a great and ruinous battle is destined for you with Sahadeva—youngest among the Pāṇḍavas, a foremost hero among men, and a source of joy to Mādrī. With him, your forces are to meet a conflict of grave consequence.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a warning: when adharma drives a kingdom toward conflict, the resulting war becomes a ‘mahātyaya’—a great calamity. It underscores ethical causality in the epic: choices made by rulers and elders culminate in unavoidable consequences on the battlefield.
Sañjaya addresses the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), foretelling that the Kaurava side will face a devastating war with Sahadeva, described as the youngest Pāṇḍava, a distinguished warrior, and one dear to his mother Mādrī.