Shloka 403
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
परस्परं विजानीमो यदयुद्धयन्नभीतवत् । उस समय उस धूलके अन्धकारमें समस्त योद्धा निर्भय-से होकर युद्ध कर रहे थे। पाण्डव तथा कौरव-योद्धा जो अपना नाम लेकर परिचय देते थे, उसे ही सुनकर हमलोग एक-दूसरेको पहचान पाते थे
parasparaṃ vijānīmo yad ayuddhayan abhītavat |
Sañjaya dit : Dans l’obscurité aveuglante soulevée par la poussière, les guerriers combattaient sans crainte. Au milieu du tumulte, nous ne pouvions nous reconnaître qu’en entendant les combattants crier leur propre nom—qu’ils fussent Pāṇḍava ou Kaurava—si bien que l’identité, et non l’apparence, devint l’unique repère dans le chaos de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and practical confusion of war: when visibility and certainty collapse, discernment depends on minimal signs (here, names). It implicitly warns how easily right judgment (dharma-buddhi) can be obscured in violent chaos, even while courage persists.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield so filled with dust that it becomes dark. Despite the lack of visibility, fighters continue fearlessly. Observers and combatants can distinguish allies and enemies only by hearing warriors announce their own names—thus identifying Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas by sound rather than sight.