Shloka 25
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
दुःशासनस्तु समरे केकयान् पञ्च मारिष । योधयामास राजेन्द्र तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्,आर्य! राजेन्द्र! द:शासनने अकेले ही समरभूमिमें पाँच केकयराजकुमारोंके साथ युद्ध किया। वह एक अद्भुत-सी बात हुई
duḥśāsanas tu samare kekayān pañca māriṣa | yodhayāmāsa rājendra tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Duḥśāsana engaged the five Kekaya princes all by himself, O king. To witness a single warrior taking on five royal fighters at once seemed almost wondrous—an episode that highlights both the ferocity and the perilous excesses of the Kurukṣetra war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the war’s extreme intensity: feats of solitary valor can appear ‘wondrous,’ yet they occur within a morally fraught conflict where prowess and aggression blur. It invites reflection on how martial excellence (kṣātra-tejas) can be admired even as the larger war remains ethically tragic.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duḥśāsana, on the battlefield, fought single-handedly against five Kekaya princes at once, an encounter described as astonishing.