Shloka 56
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
एवं बहुविध॑ तस्य राज्ञश्निन्तयतस्तदा । कृपयाभिपरीतस्य घोर युद्धमवर्तत,इस प्रकार राजा युधिष्ठिर जब दयासे द्रवित होकर भाँति-भाँतिकी बातें सोच रहे थे, उस समय दूसरी ओर घोर युद्ध हो रहा था
evaṁ bahuvidhaṁ tasya rājñaś cintayatas tadā | kṛpayābhiparītasya ghoraṁ yuddham avartata ||
Sañjaya dit : Tandis que ce roi retournait alors mille pensées dans son esprit—le cœur submergé de compassion—, de l’autre côté une bataille terrible continuait de faire rage. Le vers met en regard la douceur morale intérieure et l’élan inexorable de la guerre, montrant que la compassion demeure même au sein des exigences du conflit des kṣatriya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tension between compassion and the harsh necessities of war: a righteous king may be softened by mercy and moral reflection, yet the machinery of conflict can continue unabated. It points to the ethical burden borne by leaders who must think beyond victory to the human cost.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira is absorbed in many anxious reflections, moved by compassion, while elsewhere the battle remains fierce and ongoing—setting a contrast between the king’s inner state and the external violence of the battlefield.