Shloka 316
न्यहनत् पाण्डवीं सेनामासुरीमिव वृत्रहा । इसी बीचमें शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने पाण्डव-सेनाका उसी प्रकार विनाश आरम्भ किया, जैसे देवराज इन्द्र आसुरीसेनाका संहार करते हैं
nyahanat pāṇḍavīṁ senām āsurīm iva vṛtrahā |
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ ശാന്തനുവിന്റെ പുത്രനായ ഭീഷ്മൻ പാണ്ഡവസേനയെ സംഹരിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി; വൃത്രഹാ ദേവരാജൻ ഇന്ദ്രൻ അസുരസേനയെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s moral tension: even the most venerable and dharma-minded warriors can become instruments of vast destruction when bound by kṣatriya duty and allegiance. The Indra–Asura comparison magnifies the force of action while inviting reflection on how power in war can resemble divine might yet still unfold within human ethical conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma has begun a fierce assault, cutting down the Pāṇḍava forces. The narration uses a mythic simile—Indra annihilating Asuras—to convey the scale and momentum of Bhīṣma’s attack.