Shloka 51
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
प्रजानाथ! प्रबल भार्गवास्त्रसे समरांगणमें पीड़ित होनेवाले पांचालोंका महान् हाहाकार सब ओर गूँजने लगा ।। निपतद्धिर्गजै राजन्नश्वैश्षञापि सहस्रश: | रथैश्नापि नरव्याप्र नरैश्नैव समन्तत:
prajānātha! prabala-bhārgavāstrase samarāṅgaṇe pīḍita-honevāle pāñcālānāṃ mahān hāhākāraḥ sarva-ora gūñjane lagā || nipatadbhiḥ gajaiḥ rājann aśvaiś ca api sahasraśaḥ | rathaiś ca api nara-vyāghra naraiḥ eva samantataḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「人々の主よ、強大なるバールガヴァの武器が戦場に猛り狂うとき、その力に責め苛まれたパンチャーラは、四方に響き渡る大いなる叫びを上げた。王よ、象も馬も千々に倒れ、戦車も砕け、そして人々—人中の虎よ—はあらゆる方角に散り伏した。この詩句は戦の道義的重みを示す。抗しがたい武器が放たれるとき、民全体の苦しみは、身分や武名の区別を呑み込んでしまうのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of unleashing overwhelming weapons in war: once such force is set loose, mass suffering follows, and the battlefield becomes a scene of indiscriminate ruin. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the human cost that accompanies martial prowess.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a powerful Bhārgava weapon is devastating the Pañcāla forces. Their cries fill the directions as elephants, horses, chariots, and soldiers collapse in vast numbers across the battlefield.