Shloka 42
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
पज्चालानथ मत्स्यांश्व केकयांश्व प्रभद्रकान् | भीष्म: प्रहरतां श्रेष्ठ; पातयामास पत्रिभि:,योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्म पांचाल, मत्स्य, केकय तथा प्रभद्रक वीरोंको अपने बाणोंसे मार-मारकर गिराने लगे
Pañcālān atha Matsyāṁś ca Kekayāṁś ca Prabhadrakān | Bhīṣmaḥ praharatāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ pātayāmāsa patribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors Bhīṣma —le plus éminent de ceux qui frappent au combat— assaillit les Pañcālas, les Matsyas, les Kekayas et les guerriers Prabhadrakas, les abattant sans cesse de ses flèches.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield face of kṣatriya-dharma: martial excellence applied as duty can become a sweeping, impersonal force that brings mass suffering. It invites reflection on how ‘skill’ and ‘righteous role’ in war still carry grave ethical weight and consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, leading the Kaurava side, attacks allied divisions of the Pāṇḍavas—Pañcālas, Matsyas, Kekayas, and Prabhadrakas—and knocks many warriors down with volleys of arrows.