Shloka 43
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
यथा दैत्यचमूं राजन् देवराजो ममर्द ह । तथैव पाण्डवीं सेनां सौबलेयो व्यनाशयत्,राजन! जिस प्रकार देवराज इन्द्रने दैत्योंकी सेनाको कुचल दिया था, उसी प्रकार सुबलपुत्र शकुनिने पाण्डव-सेनाका विनाश कर डाला
sañjaya uvāca | yathā daityacamūṃ rājan devarājo mamarda ha | tathaiva pāṇḍavīṃ senāṃ saubaleyo vyanāśayat ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, just as Indra, the lord of the gods, once crushed the host of the Dānavas, so too did Śakuni, the son of Subala, bring the Pāṇḍava army to ruin.” The verse frames the battlefield outcome through a mythic comparison, underscoring how war magnifies both prowess and the destructive consequences of strategy and hostility.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how epic narration uses mythic parallels to interpret human events: battlefield success is portrayed as overwhelming force akin to divine victory, reminding the listener that war’s triumphs are inseparable from large-scale ruin and moral gravity.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śakuni (Saubaleya) devastated the Pāṇḍava forces, comparing his impact to Indra’s legendary crushing of the Daityas.