Shloka 3
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
दृष्टवा तत्कदनं घोरं स्वबलस्य कृतं महत् । जिष्णुना भीमसेनेन सात्वतेन च संयुगे
dṛṣṭvā tat-kadanaṃ ghoraṃ sva-balasya kṛtaṃ mahat | jiṣṇunā bhīmasenena sātvatena ca saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya dit : «Voyant cet effroyable et immense carnage de ses propres troupes, accompli dans la bataille par Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), par Bhīmasena et par le Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa), le roi fut ébranlé par le poids moral des ravages de la guerre, où prouesse et stratégie deviennent une moisson terrible de vies.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought by renowned heroes, battle results in ghora (dreadful) destruction. It invites reflection on the cost of kṣatriya conflict—victory is inseparable from suffering and the ruin of one’s own people.
Sañjaya reports that the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied) beholds the vast slaughter of his own forces on the battlefield, caused by Arjuna (Jiṣṇu), Bhīma, and Kṛṣṇa (Sātvata) in the course of the fighting.