Shloka 4
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
तावकानां परेषां च देवासुररणोपमम् । परेषां तव सैन्ये वा नासीत् कश्चित् पराड्मुख:
tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca devāsura-raṇopamam | pareṣāṃ tava sainye vā nāsīt kaścit parāṅmukhaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Dans cette bataille—semblable à la guerre légendaire entre dieux et asura—pas un seul homme ne détourna le visage pour fuir, ni parmi tes troupes ni parmi celles de l’ennemi. Des deux côtés, on soutint le choc avec une résolution égale, révélant une sombre égalité de courage au cœur d’un conflit mû par la rivalité et le devoir.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in the face of danger: neither side yielded to fear. Ethically, it underscores the kṣatriya ideal of not turning away from battle, while also hinting at the tragic symmetry of valor on both sides in a destructive war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the fighting was intense and evenly met—like the mythic Deva–Asura battles—and that no warrior in either army turned back in retreat.