Shloka 26
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे यत्नात् पाण्डवान् प्रत्ययोधयन् | वे अतिरथी वीर थे। उन्होंने अपने बाणोंद्वारा युद्धस्थलमें रथयूथपतियोंको विदीर्ण करके यमलोक भेज दिया। युगान्तमें कालके समान उस युद्धमें कुन्ती-कुमार अर्जुनके द्वारा आपके सैनिकोंका भयंकर विनाश हो रहा था
dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe yatnāt pāṇḍavān pratyayodhayan | te atirathī vīrāḥ teṣāṃ bāṇair yuddhasthale rathayūthapatīn vidīrya yamalokaṃ preṣayām āsuḥ | yugānte kāla iva tasmin yuddhe kuntīkumāreṇārjunena tava sainyasya bhayaṅkaro vināśo bhavati sma, tathāpi te yatnapūrvakaṃ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha yuyudhire || paristomaiḥ kuthābhiś ca kambalaiś ca mahādhanaiḥ | bhūrbhāti bharataśreṣṭha sragdāmair iva citritā ||
Sañjaya dit : Les fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, s’employant de toutes leurs forces, combattaient les Pāṇḍava. Ces héros—atiratha, puissants guerriers de char—déchirèrent de leurs flèches, sur le champ de bataille, les chefs des escadrons de chars et les envoyèrent au royaume de Yama. Et pourtant, tel le Temps à la fin d’un âge, Arjuna, fils de Kuntī, accomplissait dans ce combat une effroyable destruction de ton armée ; malgré cela, ils continuèrent à lutter contre les Pāṇḍava avec une détermination tenace. Ô le meilleur des Bhārata, le sol, jonché de riches étoffes—paristoma, kuthā et couvertures précieuses—semblait comme peint de guirlandes aux mille couleurs.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the ethical gravity and inevitability of consequences in war: even great warriors striving with full effort cannot escape the larger moral and temporal forces symbolized by Arjuna as 'Time at the end of an age.' It highlights kṣatriya resolve while reminding that death and ruin are unavoidable once adharma-driven conflict has ripened.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava warriors are fighting hard and killing commanders, yet Arjuna is devastating Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forces like apocalyptic Time. The battlefield is described vividly: the earth is strewn with costly rugs and blankets, making it look as if decorated with colorful garlands.