Shloka 43
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
तदुद्यतगदाप्रासमकापुरुषसेवितम् | प्रावर्तत महद् युद्ध राजन दुर्मन्त्रिते तव,राजन्! फिर तो आपकी कुमन्त्रणाके फलस्वरूप वह महान् युद्ध आरम्भ हो गया, जो कायरोंसे नहीं, वीर पुरुषोंसे सेवित था। उस समय सभी योद्धाओंके हाथोंमें गदा अथवा प्रास उठे रहते थे
tad udyata-gadā-prāsaṃ akā-puruṣa-sevitam | prāvartata mahad yuddhaṃ rājan durmantrite tava ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Entonces, oh Rey, por tu mal consejo, comenzó aquella gran batalla—no frecuentada por cobardes, sino por hombres heroicos—mientras los guerreros se mantenían con mazas y lanzas en alto, listos para el combate.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral responsibility in leadership: misguided counsel (durmantrita) given or accepted by a king can unleash vast harm. It frames war not as an abstract fate but as a consequence of ethical failure in judgment and governance.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the great battle has begun. Warriors stand prepared with maces and spears raised, and the conflict is depicted as one entered by the brave rather than the cowardly—while also being explicitly linked to the king’s ill-advised decisions.