Shloka 7
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
अनुमानेन संज्ञाभिननामगोत्रैश्व संयुगे । वर्तते च तथा युद्ध तत्र तत्र विशाम्पते
anumānena saṃjñābhir nāma-gotraiś ca saṃyuge | vartate ca tathā yuddhaṃ tatra tatra viśāṃpate prajānātha ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai tuan rakyat, wahai raja manusia—di medan itu para pejuang mengenal pasti kawan atau lawan melalui sangkaan, melalui isyarat yang telah dipersetujui, dan dengan menyebut nama serta keturunan; maka di banyak tempat pertempuran berlangsung dengan cara demikian.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral and practical tension of war: when combat becomes chaotic, identity is reduced to external markers—signals, names, and lineage—showing how easily human relations and ethical clarity can be strained in violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battle had become scattered and confusing; warriors were determining whether someone was on their side or the enemy’s by inference and by calling out identifying signals, names, and gotras, and fighting was breaking out in many places accordingly.