Shloka 24
Droṇa’s Defensive Stand and Abhimanyu Commissioned to Breach the Cakravyūha (द्रोणानीक-प्रतिरोधः; सौभद्र-नियोजनम्)
ततः प्रववृते युद्ध तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम्,तदनन्तर “मरनेपर ही युद्धसे निवृत्त होंगे” ऐसा निश्चय करके आपके और शशत्रुपक्षके योद्धाओंमें अत्यन्त भयंकर युद्ध आरम्भ हुआ, जो रोंगटे खड़े कर देनेवाला था
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam | tadanantaraṃ “maraṇepar hi yuddhase nivṛtta bhoge” iti niścayaṃ kṛtvā tava ca śatru-pakṣa-yoddhṛṣu cātyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ yuddham ārabdhaṃ, yad romāñca-janakam āsīt |
サञ्जयは語った。かくして戦はうねり起こり、轟然として、身の毛もよだつものとなった。ついで「死してのみ戦を退く」と固く定め、汝の軍と敵軍の戦士たちは、恐るべき激戦に突入した。その凄惨さは、身体を震わせ、毛を逆立てるほどであった。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychological and ethical gravity of war: when both sides adopt a vow to withdraw only through death, conflict becomes total and dehumanizing. It implicitly warns how rigid resolve, when tied to violence, amplifies suffering and narrows the space for restraint, negotiation, or dharmic reflection.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the battle has erupted with extreme intensity. After a decisive resolve—'we will stop only in death'—the warriors of both camps engage in a terrifying, uproarious fight, signaling a major escalation in the Drona Parva war sequence.