Shloka 54
एवमेतन्महायुद्धं द्रोणपार्षतयोरभूत् । भीष्म प्रति महाराज घोररूपं भयानकम्
evam etan mahāyuddhaṃ droṇapārṣatayor abhūt | bhīṣma prati mahārāja ghorarūpaṃ bhayānakam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Demikianlah berlakunya peperangan besar antara Droṇa dan Pārṣata. Wahai Raja, ia tertuju terhadap Bhīṣma dan mengambil rupa yang ngeri lagi menakutkan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim moral atmosphere of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle can become ‘ghora’ (dreadful) and ‘bhayānaka’ (terrifying), reminding the listener that martial prowess and righteous intent do not erase the human cost and fear inherent in large-scale violence.
Sañjaya summarizes for Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a major, intense engagement occurred between Droṇa and Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), and that this clash was aimed against Bhīṣma, taking on a particularly fearsome and dreadful character.