Shloka 16
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
तत्रासीत् सुमहद् युद्ध तव तेषां च संकुलम् | नराश्वरथनागानां यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्
tatrāsīt sumahad yuddhaṁ tava teṣāṁ ca saṅkulam | narāśvarathanāgānāṁ yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ||
Sañjaya dit : Là s’éleva une mêlée de bataille très grande et confuse entre tes troupes et les leurs—fantassins, cavaliers, guerriers de chars et combattants sur éléphants—un combat qui faisait croître le royaume de Yama, car il envoyait des multitudes à la mort.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: when battle becomes a chaotic slaughter, it chiefly benefits Yama’s realm—death increases. It implicitly warns that victory pursued through indiscriminate violence carries a moral and human cost that eclipses worldly gains.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a massive, confused melee has erupted between the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava forces, involving all four arms of the army—infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants—so deadly that it is said to ‘increase Yama’s kingdom’ by sending many warriors to their deaths.