Shloka 49
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु धृष्टद्युम्नपुरस्कृता: । आययु: पाण्डवा राजन् विनिध्नन्त: सम तावकम्
tatasteṣu prayāteṣu dhṛṣṭadyumnapuraskṛtāḥ | āyayuḥ pāṇḍavā rājan vidhinantaḥ sma tāvakam ||
サンジャヤは言った。彼らが去ると、ドリシュタデュムナを先頭に立てたパーンダヴァ軍が、王よ、進撃して汝の軍勢を討ち伏せた。この偈は戦の容赦ない推進力を示す。将が前線に立てば軍は呼応して動き、勝利は戦場の掟のうちに「必要な殺戮」によって追い求められる——その背後に戦の倫理的緊張が黙して横たわる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of leadership and formation in warfare: with a capable commander at the forefront, an army advances decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—duty-bound action in war can be resolute and organized, yet it remains morally weighty because it involves the destruction of kin and compatriots.
After certain warriors have moved away or departed, the Pāṇḍavas, with Dhṛṣṭadyumna leading from the front, advance against the Kaurava forces and begin striking them down, as Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra.