Shloka 496
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
देवासुरे पुरा युद्धे यथा दैतेयदानवा: । राजन! जैसे पूर्वकालके देवासुर-संग्राममें दैत्य और दानव धराशायी हुए थे, उसी प्रकार वे सुन्दर कान्तिवाले राजकुमार मारे जाकर उस समय रथोंसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca | devāsure purā yuddhe yathā daiteya-dānavāḥ | rājan, yathā pūrva-kāle devāsura-saṅgrāme daityāś ca dānavāś ca dharāśāyino 'bhavan, tathā te sundara-kāntivāla rājakumārā hatvā tadā rathaiḥ pṛthivyāṁ nipetuḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, sebagaimana dalam perang purba antara para dewa dan asura kaum Daitya dan Dānava berguguran, demikian pula para pangeran yang bercahaya elok itu, terbunuh di medan laga, terjungkal dari kereta mereka dan jatuh ke bumi.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the universality of death in war: even radiant princes fall like the famed Daityas and Danavas of old. It implicitly cautions against pride in status and beauty, emphasizing the ethical gravity and human cost of battlefield violence.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that many princes have been slain and have fallen from their chariots onto the earth. He intensifies the scene by comparing their downfall to the legendary destruction of Daityas and Danavas in the ancient devasura war.