Shloka 42
Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
तद् बल॑ भरतश्रेष्ठ वध्यमानं तदा निशि
tad balaṁ bharataśreṣṭha vadhyamānaṁ tadā niśi
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata, pasukan itu pada malam itu sedang dibantai; di medan laga ia menyusut dan jatuh ke dalam keadaan yang amat mengerikan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral strain of warfare when violence continues under cover of night: even in a kṣatriya conflict governed by norms, chaos and darkness can blur restraint, raising questions of dharma and accountability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a certain army/force is being slaughtered at night, setting a grim scene of nocturnal fighting and the resulting devastation.