Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
नैवास्माभिस्तथा पूर्वर्दृष्टपूर्व तथाविधम् । श्रुतं वा यादृशं युद्धमासीद् रौद्रं भयानकम्,हमने तथा पूर्ववर्ती लोगोंने भी वैसा रौद्र एवं भयानक युद्ध न तो पहले कभी देखा था और न सुना ही था, जैसा कि वह युद्ध हो रहा था
naivāsmābhis tathā pūrvaṁ dṛṣṭapūrvaṁ tathāvidham | śrutaṁ vā yādṛśaṁ yuddham āsīd raudraṁ bhayānakam ||
サンジャヤは言った。「かつて我らは、このような戦を見たことも、聞いたことさえもない。――かくも凄烈で、かくも恐るべき戦が、眼前に展開していたのだ。暴虐はあらゆる過去の経験を超え、この争いに暗い転機を刻んだ。」
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the moral shock of war: even seasoned witnesses find the violence unprecedented. It implicitly warns that when conflict crosses limits, it becomes a force of terror rather than a righteous contest, challenging any easy justification.
Sanjaya, narrating events to Dhritarashtra, reports that the battle has become extraordinarily fierce and frightening—beyond anything previously seen or even heard of—signaling an extreme escalation in the Kurukshetra war.