Shloka 16
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो यथावत् स गदाग्रज: प्रभु: शशंस तस्मै निखिलेन तत्त्वतः । युधिष्ठिरायाप्रतिमौजसे तदा यथाभवत् क्षत्रियसंकुला मही
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato yathāvat sa gadāgrajaḥ prabhuḥ śaśaṃsa tasmai nikhilena tattvataḥ | yudhiṣṭhirāyāpratimaujase tadā yathābhavat kṣatriyasaṅkulā mahī ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors le Seigneur, le frère aîné de Gadā (Kṛṣṇa), lui exposa—dans l’ordre convenable, pleinement et avec vérité—toute chose telle qu’elle s’était réellement passée. À Yudhiṣṭhira, dont l’éclat était sans égal, il expliqua comment, en ce temps-là, la terre en vint à être remplie et couverte des corps des kṣatriya tombés.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes truthful, complete, and orderly recounting of events—especially the catastrophic cost of war—so that a dharmic ruler can reflect ethically on violence, responsibility, and the consequences of kṣatriya conflict.
After Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry, Kṛṣṇa (called Gadāgraja) begins to narrate in full detail how the earth became strewn with the slain kṣatriyas—setting the stage for a sober account of the war’s devastation.