Shloka 403
Droṇasya raudra-prayogaḥ
Droṇa’s intensified assault and the Pāṇḍava response
उत्पाता युधि वीराणां जीवितक्षयकारिण: । ये तथा और भी बहुत-से भयंकर उत्पात प्रकट हुए, जो युद्धमें वीरोंकी जीवन-लीलाके विनाशकी सूचना देनेवाले थे
utpātā yudhi vīrāṇāṁ jīvitakṣayakāriṇaḥ | ye tathā, anye 'pi bahavaḥ bhayaṅkarā utpātāḥ prakaṭā abhavan, ye yuddhe vīrāṇāṁ jīvanalīlāvināśasya sūcanā-dāyakāḥ āsan |
Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, ominous portents appeared—signs that bring about the wasting away of warriors’ lives. Many other dreadful omens also manifested, foretelling the destruction of the heroes’ life-breath in the war. The narrative frames the coming slaughter not as mere chance, but as a morally charged turning-point where fate and human action converge toward ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma-laden conflict is accompanied by ominous signs: war’s momentum toward mass death is portrayed as ethically weighty, where human choices invite catastrophic consequences that seem mirrored by nature’s portents.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that terrifying omens appeared on the battlefield, specifically indicating imminent loss of life among the warriors—setting a foreboding tone for the violence about to unfold.