Shloka 46
Brahmacarya-Upāya: Jñāna, Śauca, and the Mind’s Role in Desire (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय २०७)
ततस्तस्मिन् महाघोरे संध्याकाल उपस्थिते । राजान: समसज्जन्त समासाद्येतरेतरम्
tatas tasmin mahāghore sandhyākāla upasthite | rājānaḥ samasajjanta samāsādya itaretaram, bharataśreṣṭha |
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Entonces, cuando llegó aquella terrible hora del crepúsculo, los reyes, oh el mejor de los Bhāratas, se encararon unos a otros y se entregaron por completo: cerraron filas, se aproximaron y se lanzaron a la batalla».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, at a liminal and ominous time (sandhyā), rulers can become mutually inflamed and rush into violence. It implicitly warns that unchecked rivalry and passion can override restraint and dharma, especially in moments symbolically associated with transition and vulnerability.
As a dreadful twilight sets in, the kings draw near to one another and become absorbed in combat—meeting head-on and committing themselves to battle.