Shloka 316
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-समागमः
Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Engagement at Sunset
न्यहनत् पाण्डवीं सेनामासुरीमिव वृत्रहा । इसी बीचमें शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने पाण्डव-सेनाका उसी प्रकार विनाश आरम्भ किया, जैसे देवराज इन्द्र आसुरीसेनाका संहार करते हैं
nyahanat pāṇḍavīṁ senām āsurīm iva vṛtrahā |
サンジャヤは言った。「そのとき、シャーンタヌの子ビーシュマは、パーンダヴァ軍を討ち崩し始めた――あたかもヴリトラハー（ヴリトラを屠るインドラ）がアスラの軍勢を滅ぼすがごとく。 この譬えは、ビーシュマの猛攻を神威にも比すべき圧倒的な力として描きつつ、同時に悲痛な道徳的緊張を浮かび上がらせる。すなわち、ダルマが相克する戦において、義を担う戦士たちが互いを滅ぼし合うのである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s moral tension: even the most venerable and dharma-minded warriors can become instruments of vast destruction when bound by kṣatriya duty and allegiance. The Indra–Asura comparison magnifies the force of action while inviting reflection on how power in war can resemble divine might yet still unfold within human ethical conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma has begun a fierce assault, cutting down the Pāṇḍava forces. The narration uses a mythic simile—Indra annihilating Asuras—to convey the scale and momentum of Bhīṣma’s attack.