Shloka 18
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
नेह ध्रुवं किंचिदपि प्रचिन्तयन् विद्यां लोके कर्मणो नित्ययोगात् । सूर्योदये को हि विमुक्तसंशयो भावं कुर्वीताद्य गुरौ निपातिते
neha dhruvaṁ kiñcid api pracintayan vidyāṁ loke karmaṇo nityayogāt | sūryodaye ko hi vimuktasaṁśayo bhāvaṁ kurvītādya gurau nipātite |
Sanjaya berkata: “Walau telah banyak merenung, aku tidak menganggap apa pun di dunia ini sungguh tetap, sebab segala perbuatan terikat pada perubahan dan kefanaan. Bila hari ini bahkan guru Drona telah dijatuhkan, siapa yang tanpa keraguan dapat berpegang teguh bahwa ia akan hidup sampai terbit matahari esok?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores anityatā—nothing in worldly life is truly secure or permanent. Since all beings are entangled in action and its changing outcomes, certainty about even the next day is illusory; wisdom lies in humility and vigilance amid life’s instability.
Sañjaya reflects on the battlefield situation after the fall of Droṇācārya. If even such a mighty and revered guru can be slain, then no warrior can confidently assume survival until the next sunrise; the war has made mortality immediate and undeniable.