Shloka 39
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
हतभूयिष्ठयोधं तत् कृत्वा तव बल॑ बली
hatabhūyiṣṭhayodhaṃ tat kṛtvā tava balaṃ balī
Sañjaya dit : «Après avoir ainsi réduit ton armée à une troupe dont la plupart des guerriers étaient tombés, ce puissant amena ton ost à cet état — une issue lourde du poids moral de la dévastation guerrière.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when framed as heroic might (balī), the verse foregrounds the grim ethical reality of war: power is measured here by the capacity to annihilate, and the narrative invites reflection on the cost—an army reduced because most warriors are slain.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a powerful combatant has caused the Kaurava host to become an army with most of its warriors killed—indicating a severe reversal and near-ruin of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forces.