Shloka 2
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
शरैरतिरथो युद्धे दारयन् रथयूथपान् | ते वध्यमाना: पार्थेन कालेनेव युगक्षये
śarair atiratho yuddhe dārayan rathayūthapān | te vadhyamānāḥ pārthena kāleneva yugakṣaye ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dalam pertempuran, pahlawan kereta perang agung itu, dengan anak panahnya, mengoyak para ketua pasukan kereta. Mereka yang dibunuh oleh Pārtha (Arjuna) rebah seolah-olah Kāla—Waktu itu sendiri—pada penghujung suatu yuga telah datang memusnahkan mereka.” Ayat ini menampilkan keperkasaan Arjuna bukan sekadar kekuatan peribadi, tetapi sebagai gerak tak terelakkan takdir di tengah bencana moral peperangan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, individual agency (Arjuna’s skill) appears inseparable from the larger force of Kāla (Time/destiny). It suggests that mass destruction on the battlefield can resemble cosmic dissolution, reminding the listener that violence, once unleashed, becomes an impersonal, unstoppable process.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna (Pārtha) in the thick of battle, using volleys of arrows to break the ranks and kill the commanders of chariot-units. The slaughter is compared to Time’s devastation at the end of a world-age, emphasizing the scale and inevitability of the rout.