Shloka 55
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya-saṃvādaḥ; madhyāhna-saṅgrāma-pravṛttiḥ
Dhritarashtra–Sanjaya dialogue and the midday battle escalation
ततो नृपं पराजित्य पार्षत: परवीरहा । न्यहनत् तावकं सैन्यं वज़पाणिरिवासुरान्,तब शत्रुवीरोंका हनन करनेवाले धृष्टद्युम्नने राजा दुर्योधनको पराजित करके आपकी सेनाका उसी प्रकार विनाश आरम्भ किया, जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्र असुरोंका विनाश करते हैं
tato nṛpaṃ parājitya pārṣataḥ paravīrahā | nyahanat tāvakaṃ sainyaṃ vajrapāṇir ivāsurān ||
Sañjaya said: Then Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna—the son of Pṛṣata, a slayer of enemy heroes—having defeated King Duryodhana, began to cut down your army, just as Indra, wielder of the thunderbolt, destroys the Asuras. The verse underscores the ruthless momentum of battle: once a leading commander is checked, the collapse of morale and formation can follow swiftly, and the simile to Indra frames the slaughter as overwhelming, almost cosmic in force rather than merely personal vengeance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how swiftly the tide of war can turn when a principal leader is defeated: the ensuing destruction is portrayed as irresistible, like Indra’s thunderbolt against the Asuras. Ethically, it points to the grim reality that in kṣatriya warfare, victory often translates immediately into large-scale slaughter, raising the tension between martial duty and the human cost.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna (son of Pṛṣata) has overcome King Duryodhana and then begins to rout and kill the Kaurava forces, compared to Indra annihilating the Asuras.