Shloka 17
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
ततः प्रववृते युद्ध तव तेषां च भारत । अन्योन्यं निध्नतां राजन् यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tava teṣāṃ ca bhārata | anyonyaṃ nidhnatāṃ rājan yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ||
Sañjaya dit : «Alors, ô Bhārata, la bataille s’engagea entre tes troupes et les leurs. Ô roi, tandis que ces guerriers s’abattaient les uns les autres, ce combat devint un accroissement du royaume de Yama, gonflant l’empire de la Mort par le massacre réciproque.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: when warriors engage in mutual killing, the immediate ‘fruit’ is not glory but the expansion of Death’s domain. It frames battle as a dharmically weighty act with irreversible consequences.
After the armies have been arrayed, Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that fighting breaks out between the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava forces, with intense reciprocal strikes leading to many deaths—figuratively described as increasing Yama’s kingdom.