Shloka 25
Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle
प्रतीपकारिणि रणाददश्चत्थाम्नि हते हयै: । मन्त्रौषधिक्रियायोगैर््याधौ देहादिवाहते,जैसे मन्त्र, औषध, चिकित्सा और योगके द्वारा शरीरसे रोग दूर हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार जब प्रतिकूल कार्य करनेवाला अअभ्रत्थामा चारों घोड़ोंद्वारा रणभूमिसे दूर हटा दिया गया, तब वायुसे फहराती हुई पताकाओंसे युक्त और जलप्रवाहके समान गम्भीर घोष करनेवाले रथके द्वारा श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन फिर संशप्तकोंकी ओर चल दिये
sañjaya uvāca | pratīpakāriṇi raṇād apāścatthāmni hate hayaiḥ | mantrauṣadhi-kriyā-yogair vyādhau dehād ivāhate ||
Sañjaya dijo: Cuando el hostil Aśvatthāman fue rechazado del campo de batalla y sus caballos quedaron abatidos, fue como si una enfermedad fuese expulsada del cuerpo mediante mantra, medicina, tratamiento y disciplina yóguica. Entonces Kṛṣṇa y Arjuna, en su carro cuyas banderas ondeaban al viento y cuyo bramido era profundo como una corriente impetuosa, avanzaron de nuevo hacia los Saṁsaptakas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a healing simile to frame the removal of a hostile force as the restoration of balance: just as disciplined remedies (mantra, medicine, therapy, yoga) expel disease from the body, so the battlefield is ‘cleansed’ when a disruptive aggressor is driven away. Ethically, it suggests that rightful action in war aims at restoring order (dharma) rather than mere destruction.
Aśvatthāman, acting as an opponent, is forced back from the fight and his horses are struck down. After this setback, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, on their bannered and thunderous chariot, turn again and advance toward the Saṁsaptakas, the vowed warriors who repeatedly challenge Arjuna.