Shloka 403
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
परस्परं विजानीमो यदयुद्धयन्नभीतवत् । उस समय उस धूलके अन्धकारमें समस्त योद्धा निर्भय-से होकर युद्ध कर रहे थे। पाण्डव तथा कौरव-योद्धा जो अपना नाम लेकर परिचय देते थे, उसे ही सुनकर हमलोग एक-दूसरेको पहचान पाते थे
parasparaṃ vijānīmo yad ayuddhayan abhītavat |
Sañjaya said: In that blinding darkness raised by dust, the warriors fought on without fear. Amid the confusion, we could recognize one another only by hearing the combatants call out their own names—whether they were Pāṇḍava or Kaurava—so that identity, not appearance, became the sole guide in the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and practical confusion of war: when visibility and certainty collapse, discernment depends on minimal signs (here, names). It implicitly warns how easily right judgment (dharma-buddhi) can be obscured in violent chaos, even while courage persists.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield so filled with dust that it becomes dark. Despite the lack of visibility, fighters continue fearlessly. Observers and combatants can distinguish allies and enemies only by hearing warriors announce their own names—thus identifying Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas by sound rather than sight.