Shloka 1
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
अपना छा अ-क्राछ सप्तपञ्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: उभय पक्षकी सेनाओंका घमासान युद्ध संजय उवाच ततो व्यूकेष्वनीकेषु तावकेषु परेषु च । धनंजयो रथानीकमवधीत् तव भारत
sañjaya uvāca | tato vyūḍheṣv anīkeṣu tāvakeṣu pareṣu ca | dhanañjayo rathānīkam avadhīt tava bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata! Setelah formasi perang (vyūha) kedua-dua pihak—pihakmu dan pihak musuh—tersusun sepenuhnya, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) pun mula menumpaskan bahagian pahlawan kereta perang dalam angkatanmu.” Ayat ini membingkai pertembungan sebagai pertempuran yang tersusun dan disengajakan: sebaik vyūha ditegakkan, ketegangan dharma seorang kṣatriya segera menjadi tindakan yang nyata dan berakibat di medan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that once both sides have consciously entered an ordered battle (vyūha), action follows as a matter of kṣatriya-duty; moral responsibility is heightened because the violence is not accidental but undertaken within a deliberate, rule-governed war context.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after both armies are arrayed in their formations, Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) begins the slaughter of the Kaurava chariot division, marking the onset of intense fighting in this phase.