अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
यथाप्राणं यथाश्रेष्ठं मध्याद्ले वै सुदारुणे वर्मणां तत्र राजेन्द्र व्यदृश्यन्तोज्ज्वला: प्रभा:
sañjaya uvāca | yathāprāṇaṃ yathāśreṣṭhaṃ madhyāhne vai sudāruṇe varmaṇāṃ tatra rājendra vyadṛśyantojjvalāḥ prabhāḥ |
Sañjaya dijo: «En aquel mediodía tan cruel, según la fuerza y la excelencia de cada cual, volví a contemplar muchos combates singulares. Oh rey, allí el resplandor de las armaduras de los guerreros se mostraba extraordinariamente brillante».
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores a kṣatriya battlefield ethic: combat unfolds according to each warrior’s actual strength and excellence, and the narrator’s role is to report the scene without distortion—highlighting both human limitation and martial duty amid terror.
Sanjaya describes the battle at a harsh midday moment: numerous one-on-one duels are taking place, and the warriors’ armors gleam intensely, creating a vivid, almost blinding battlefield spectacle.