Shloka 17
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
रथी रथिनमासाद्य प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् । तथेतरान् समासाद्य नरनागाश्चसादिन:,रथीने रथीका सामना करके उसे यमलोक पहुँचा दिया। पैदल, हाथीसवार और घुड़सवारोंने भी एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर ऐसा ही किया
sañjaya uvāca | rathī rathinam āsādya prāhiṇod yamasādanam | tathā itarān samāsādya nara-nāgāś ca sādināḥ |
ສັນຈະຍາກ່າວວ່າ: ນັກຮົບລົດສົງຄາມຄົນໜຶ່ງ ເຂົ້າປະຊິດນັກຮົບລົດສົງຄາມອີກຄົນໜຶ່ງ ແລ້ວສົ່ງເຂົາໄປສູ່ທີ່ພັກຂອງຍະມະ. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ ທະຫານຍ່າງ, ນັກຂີ່ຊ້າງ, ແລະນັກຂີ່ມ້າ ເມື່ອພົບຄູ່ຕໍ່ສູ້ຂອງຕົນໃນການປະຈັນໜ້າ ກໍຟັນຟາດກັນຈົນລົ້ມຕາຍເຊັ່ນກັນ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: when combatants meet their equals, death becomes the immediate consequence. It implicitly reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—kṣatriya duty and valor operate within a tragic economy of reciprocal violence, where victory often means sending another to death.
Sañjaya describes intense close-quarters fighting: chariot-warriors clash with chariot-warriors, and similarly infantry, elephant-units, and cavalry engage their counterparts, each side striking down the other amid the chaos of the battle.