Shloka 17
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
असिमार्गान् बहुविधान् विचेरु: सैनिका रणे । ऋष्टिभि: शक्तिभि: प्रासै: शूलतोमरपट्टिशै:,समस्त सैनिक उस रफणक्षेत्रमें तलवारके बहुत-से पैंतरे दिखाते हुए विचर रहे थे। युद्धकी रंगभूमिमें आये हुए मनुष्य परस्पर कुपित हो एक-दूसरेपर ऋष्टि, शक्ति, प्रास, शूल, तोमर, पट्टिश, गदा, परिघ, अन्यान्य आयुध तथा भुजाओंद्वारा चोट पहुँचाते थे
sañjaya uvāca | asimārgān bahuvidhān viceruḥ sainikā raṇe | ṛṣṭibhiḥ śaktibhiḥ prāsaiḥ śūlatomarapaṭṭiśaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: On the battlefield the soldiers moved about displaying many kinds of sword-techniques and maneuvers. In the arena of war, men, inflamed with mutual anger, struck one another with spears, javelins, lances, tridents, tomara-darts, battle-axes, and other weapons—turning skill and wrath into relentless injury.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how anger and rivalry, once unleashed in war, convert human skill into harm. It implicitly warns that martial prowess without restraint becomes an instrument of krodha, highlighting the ethical tension within kṣatriya-dharma: duty in battle versus the moral cost of wrath-driven violence.
Sañjaya describes the battle’s intensity: soldiers surge across the field, exhibiting varied sword maneuvers and attacking each other with multiple kinds of weapons—spears, javelins, lances, tridents, tomara-darts, and axes—depicting a chaotic, weapon-filled melee.