Shloka 27
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
कुर्वाणं समरे कर्म सूदयानं च वाहिनीम् | व्याक्रोशन्त रणे तत्र नरा बहुविधा बहु
kurvāṇaṃ samare karma sūdayānaṃ ca vāhinīm | vyākrośanta raṇe tatra narā bahuvidhā bahu ||
Sañjaya said: As he carried out his deeds in the thick of battle and began to slaughter the opposing host, many kinds of men there on the battlefield cried out loudly in distress—again and again—overwhelmed by the violence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the human cost of battle: when martial action turns into indiscriminate slaughter of an army, the natural consequence is widespread anguish and outcry. It implicitly contrasts the kṣatriya’s duty to fight with the ethical gravity of violence and the suffering it produces.
Sañjaya reports that amid the fighting, as a warrior continues his combat deeds and cuts down the opposing forces, the battlefield fills with loud cries from many warriors—shouts of pain, fear, and distress—signaling the chaos and devastation of the encounter.