Shloka 22
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
ततः सप्त रथान् वीर: स्यालानां तव भारत
tataḥ sapta rathān vīraḥ syālānāṃ tava bhārata
Lalu, wahai Bhārata, sang kesatria perkasa itu maju menghadapi tujuh kereta perang milik ipar-iparmu; dalam paksaan keras peperangan, ikatan kekerabatan pun disisihkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line underscores a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: in the battlefield, social bonds like kinship do not necessarily restrain action when one is bound by kṣatriya-duty and the momentum of conflict—highlighting the tragedy of dharma operating within war.
Sañjaya reports that a heroic warrior turns toward (or confronts) seven chariots associated with Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s brothers-in-law, indicating an escalation where multiple chariot-fighters are engaged at once.