Shloka 33
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
विमर्द: सुमहानासीत् तस्य सैन्यस्य मारिष । रक्षसा घोररूपेण वध्यमानस्य संयुगे,आर्य! युद्धस्थलमें भयंकर राक्षसके द्वारा मारी जाती हुई उस सेनाका महान् संहार होने लगा
vimardaḥ sumahān āsīt tasya sainyasya mārīṣa | rakṣasā ghorarūpeṇa vadhyamānasya saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Oh venerable, en aquel ejército se alzó una refriega inmensa. Mientras era segado en la batalla por un rākṣasa de aspecto terrible y espantoso, comenzó en el campo una matanza descomunal.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological reality of war: once unleashed, violence escalates beyond orderly combat into indiscriminate slaughter, especially when driven by fearsome, non-human or ‘demonic’ forces—an implicit warning about adharma and loss of restraint in battle.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a huge, chaotic clash has erupted and that the army is being devastated in the fighting by a terrifying rākṣasa, leading to widespread killing on the battlefield.