Shloka 49
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
हते विप्रद्रुते सैन्ये निरुत्साहे विमर्दिते । हाहाकारो महानासीत् पाण्डुसैन्येषु भारत
hate vipradrute sainye nirutsāhe vimardite | hāhākāro mahān āsīt pāṇḍusainyeṣu bhārata ||
Sañjaya dit : Lorsque l’armée eut été décimée, dispersée dans la fuite, privée d’élan et broyée dans la mêlée, un grand cri de détresse s’éleva parmi les troupes des Pāṇḍu, ô Bhārata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical reality of war: beyond physical casualties, warfare shatters morale and social order, producing collective anguish (hāhākāra). It implicitly warns that violence generates cascading harm—fear, flight, and despair—affecting even those who survive.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava troops have suffered heavy losses and disarray—many killed, many routed, many crushed in the press of battle, and many losing heart—resulting in a loud uproar of lamentation within their ranks.