Shloka 25
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
हतमात्मसुतं दृष्टवा कलिड्रानां जनाधिप:
hatam ātmasutaṃ dṛṣṭvā kaliḍrāṇāṃ janādhipaḥ
Sañjaya berkata: “Melihat puteranya sendiri terbunuh, penguasa kaum Kaliḍra dilanda dukacita dan terkejut—gambaran bagaimana perang menjadikan raja sekalipun seorang peratap, dan bagaimana keterikatan pada ‘milik sendiri’ menjadi punca sengsara tatkala dharma dan tertib runtuh di medan laga.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: even those who uphold martial duty are not spared the suffering born of attachment and loss. It implicitly contrasts the ideals of kṣatriya-dharma with the emotional devastation that battle inevitably brings.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment in which the king of the Kaliḍras sees his own son killed, marking a turn from command and valor to grief and disorientation amid the ongoing conflict.