Shloka 78
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
तेषु श्रान्तेषु भग्नेषु मृदितेषु च भारत,भरतनन्दन! उस समय जब अधिकांश सैनिक परिश्रमसे चूर-चूर हो रहे थे, कितने ही भाग गये थे और बहुतेरे योद्धा रौंद डाले गये थे, रात हो गयी थी एवं हमें अपने सेवक नहीं दिखायी दे रहे थे, तब कौरवों और पाण्डवोंने अपनी-अपनी सेनाको युद्धभूमिसे लौटनेका आदेश दे दिया
teṣu śrānteṣu bhagneṣu mṛditeṣu ca bhārata | rātriḥ saṃjajñe na ca sma dṛśyāmahe sevakāḥ | tataḥ kauravapāṇḍavāḥ svāṃ svāṃ senāṃ raṇabhūmitaḥ pratyāhartum ājñāpayām āsuḥ ||
Sanjaya said: When those troops were exhausted, broken, and trampled down, O Bharata, night fell; and our attendants could no longer be seen. Then both the Kauravas and the Pandavas gave orders for their respective armies to withdraw from the battlefield. The moment underscores a grim ethical boundary in war: when darkness and disarray overtake the field, command turns from conquest to restraint and recovery, acknowledging the limits of human endurance and the need to regroup rather than pursue slaughter blindly.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid total war, there are practical and ethical limits: when exhaustion, rout, and darkness prevail, leadership must prioritize restraint, recovery, and order over reckless pursuit. The verse highlights responsibility in command—knowing when to stop and regroup.
Sanjaya reports that many soldiers are exhausted, scattered, and crushed; night has fallen and attendants are no longer visible. In response, both sides—the Kauravas and the Pandavas—order their armies to withdraw from the battlefield.