Shloka 44
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
उपारमन्त ज्याशब्दा: प्रेक्षका रथिनो5भवन् | न हि स्वेषां परेषां वा विशेष: प्रत्यदृश्यत
upāramanta jyāśabdāḥ prekṣakā rathino 'bhavan | na hi sveṣāṃ pareṣāṃ vā viśeṣaḥ pratyadṛśyata ||
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಧನುಸ್ಸಿನ ಜ್ಯಾ-ಶಬ್ದಗಳು ನಿಂತವು; ರಥಯೋಧರು ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರಂತೆ ನಿಂತರು. ಆ ಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮವರಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಶತ್ರುಪಕ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಪರಾಕ್ರಮದ ಭೇದ ಯಾವುದೂ ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, outcomes and reputations can hinge on fleeting moments: when action halts, the usual measures of superiority collapse, reminding the listener that pride in ‘ours’ versus ‘theirs’ is unstable and that valor is not always immediately legible.
A sudden lull occurs: the bowstrings’ twang stops, and the chariot-fighters pause to watch rather than strike. In that pause, observers cannot tell which side’s warriors are superior in prowess—both appear evenly matched.