Shloka 2
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
सो&पक्रम्य मुहूर्त तु भीमसेनस्य गोचरात् । पुत्रांस्तव ददर्शाथ भीमसेनेन पातितान्,उसने थोड़ी देरके लिये भीमसेनकी दृष्टिसे दूर हटनेपर देखा कि भीमसेनने आपके पुत्रोंकी मार गिराया है
so 'pakramya muhūrtaṃ tu bhīmasenasya gocarāt | putrāṃs tava dadarśātha bhīmasenena pātitān ||
Sañjaya said: “Stepping away for a brief moment from the range of Bhīmasena’s sight, I then saw your sons lying fallen—struck down by Bhīmasena.” The line underscores the grim moral weight of fratricidal war: the king’s own heirs are shown as the immediate cost of adharma-driven conflict, witnessed with helpless clarity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediate human cost of unrighteous conflict: a ruler’s attachment and choices culminate in the downfall of his own lineage. It also stresses the role of truthful witnessing—Sañjaya reports what is, without embellishment—forcing moral reckoning.
Sañjaya narrates that he briefly moved out of Bhīma’s line of sight and then saw Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons already felled by Bhīmasena, indicating a decisive and violent turn on the battlefield.