Shloka 42
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
क्षणेनाहन् स बलवान ये<स्य दृष्टिपथे स्थिता: । तेषां शरीरावयवै: शरीरैश्व विशाम्पते
kṣaṇenāhan sa balavān ye 'sya dṛṣṭi-pathe sthitāḥ | teṣāṃ śarīrāvayavaiḥ śarīraiś ca viśāmpate ||
Sañjaya said: In a single moment that mighty warrior struck down all who came within his line of sight, O lord of men—so that their bodies, and even the severed limbs of their bodies, lay strewn about. The scene underscores how, when violence is unleashed without restraint, strength becomes mere slaughter rather than a dharmic use of power.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral collapse that can occur in war: sheer power, when driven by vengeance and unchecked aggression, turns into indiscriminate killing. It implicitly contrasts brute force with dharmic restraint and accountability.
Sañjaya describes a warrior rapidly killing everyone who appears within his sight, leaving bodies and severed limbs scattered—an image typical of the Sauptika Parva’s depiction of sudden, ruthless slaughter.