Shloka 193
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
प्रत्युद्ययुर्महेष्वासा: पाण्डवानाततायिन: । वे महाधनुर्धर कौरवयोद्धा रणभूमिमें अपराजित राजा दुर्योधनके पास पहुँचकर आततायी पाण्डवोंपर जा चढ़े
sañjaya uvāca | pratyudyayur maheṣvāsāḥ pāṇḍavān ātatāyinaḥ | te mahādhanurdharāḥ kauravayoddhā raṇabhūmau aparājitaṃ rājānaṃ duryodhanaṃ samīpya ātatāyiṣu pāṇḍaveṣu abhyapatanta |
Sañjaya dijo: Los grandes arqueros entre los guerreros Kaurava avanzaron para enfrentar a los Pāṇḍava, tildándolos de “ātatāyin” (agresores criminales). Al llegar a las inmediaciones del rey Duryodhana—invicto en el campo de batalla—se lanzaron hacia delante y cayeron sobre los Pāṇḍava con feroz embate. El verso enmarca el choque no solo como maniobra militar, sino como pretensión moral: llamar al enemigo “ātatāyin” para justificar el asalto.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral labeling functions in war: calling the opponent ‘ātatāyin’ (aggressor/criminal) serves as an ethical rationale for violent action. It reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring tension between dharma-claims and battlefield realities.
Sanjaya reports that Kaurava great archers move out to confront the Pandavas, approach the undefeated King Duryodhana on the battlefield, and then launch an attack against the Pandava forces.