Shloka 363
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
अन्योन्यमभितो राजन् क्रूरमायोधनं बभौ । प्रजापालक नरेश! चारों ओर एक-दूसरेपर आक्रमण करनेवाले घुड़सवारों और हाथीसवारोंके संघर्षसे वह रणभूमि अत्यन्त दारुण प्रतीत होने लगी
sañjaya uvāca | anyonyam abhito rājan krūram āyodhanaṃ babhau |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, di segala penjuru pertempuran tampak kejam dan tanpa belas kasihan, ketika para kesatria saling menerjang dalam serbuan timbal-balik. Wahai pelindung rakyat, medan yang seharusnya dijaga oleh raja yang dharmika kini tampak amat mengerikan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical tragedy of war: when mutual aggression takes hold, the battlefield becomes 'krūra' (pitiless), and the kingly duty of protecting subjects is eclipsed by uncontrolled violence—hinting that dharma is hardest to preserve amid collective fury.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the fighting has intensified on all sides, with combatants attacking one another in close, mutual engagement, making the battlefield appear extremely fierce and dreadful.