Shloka 65
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
इदं घोरमिदं चित्रमिदं रौद्रमिति प्रभो । तत्र युद्धान्यदृश्यन्त प्रततानि बहूनि च,प्रभो! वहाँ भिन्न-भिन्न दलोंमें बहुत-से विस्तृत युद्ध दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे, जिन्हें देखकर दर्शक कहते थे “यह घोर युद्ध हो रहा है, यह विचित्र संग्राम दिखायी देता है और यह अत्यन्त भयंकर मारकाट हो रही है!
idaṁ ghoram idaṁ citram idaṁ raudram iti prabho | tatra yuddhāny adṛśyanta pratatāni bahūni ca ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai tuanku, di sana tampak banyak pertempuran yang terbentang ke segala penjuru. Para penonton, terguncang oleh apa yang mereka lihat, terus berseru: ‘Ini mengerikan; ini menakjubkan; ini ganas dan berlumur darah!’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological impact of war: even when framed as duty, battle manifests as horror and ferocity to witnesses. Sañjaya’s report underscores how violence overwhelms ordinary moral sensibilities, prompting spontaneous judgments—‘dreadful, strange, fierce’—rather than triumphal celebration.
Sañjaya is describing to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene in Droṇa Parva: numerous engagements are occurring simultaneously across different formations. The fighting is so intense and varied that spectators repeatedly comment on its dreadful, astonishing, and fiercely destructive nature.