Shloka 17
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
हते द्रोणे च भीष्मे च सूतपुत्रे च पातिते । शल्य: पार्थान् रणे सर्वान् निहनिष्यति मारिष
hate droṇe ca bhīṣme ca sūtaputre ca pātite | śalyaḥ pārthān raṇe sarvān nihaniṣyati māriṣa ||
サンジャヤは言った。「尊ぶべき王よ。ドローナとビーシュマが討たれ、さらに御者の子カルナも倒されたとき、あなたの御子らは強い希望を抱いた。『シャリヤが戦いにおいてプリターの子らを皆、必ず討ち果たすであろう』と。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, even after catastrophic losses, attachment to victory can generate renewed—and often unrealistic—confidence. It underscores the moral and psychological momentum of war: hope can persist as a form of denial, prolonging violence rather than prompting reflection on dharma and the cost of continued conflict.
After the deaths of major Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Karṇa—Sañjaya reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas) place their remaining hope in Śalya, believing he will be able to kill all the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield.