Shloka 48
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
अवधीत् समरे पुत्र पिता भरतसत्तम
avadhīt samare putraḥ pitā bharatasattama
Sañjaya dit : Au plus fort de la bataille, le fils tua le père, ô le meilleur des Bhārata—renversement total du devoir naturel, montrant comment la guerre peut pousser les proches à commettre des actes qui violent l’ordre moral ordinaire.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral collapse that prolonged war can cause: even the most fundamental bonds—between father and son—can be overturned, warning that violence corrodes dharma and natural human obligations.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, during the fighting, a son killed his own father—an episode presented as a shocking sign of the battle’s extremity and the breakdown of familial restraint.