अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
ततः समभवद् युद्धमतीव भयवर्धनम् | त्वदीयानां परेषां च घोरं विजयकाड्क्षिणाम्,फिर तो विजयकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले आपके और शत्रुपक्षके सैनिकोंमें अत्यन्त भंयकर घोर युद्ध छिड़ गया
tataḥ samabhavad yuddham atīva bhayavardhanam | tvadīyānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca ghoraṃ vijayakāṅkṣiṇām ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Kemudian pecahlah pertempuran yang amat menambah gentar—mengerikan di kedua pihak—ketika pasukanmu dan bala lawan, sama-sama mendambakan kemenangan, saling bertubrukan dengan tekad kelam.”
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth: when both sides become fixated on victory, conflict escalates into a fear-amplifying, ruthless struggle. It implicitly warns that victory-lust can eclipse restraint (dharma) and magnify collective suffering.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce battle has erupted between the Kaurava forces ('yours') and the opposing army. Both sides are portrayed as intent on winning, and the immediate consequence is an intensely terrifying clash.