Shloka 42
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
ततस्ते तावका: सर्वे मायया विमुखीकृता:
tatas te tāvakāḥ sarve māyayā vimukhīkṛtāḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Kemudian semua orangmu, dipalingkan dan dikacaukan oleh kuasa ilusi itu, berpaling daripada pertempuran. Dalam ketakutan, mereka seakan-akan melihat sesama sendiri—dan juga Droṇa, Duryodhana, Śalya serta Aśvatthāmā—dalam keadaan yang mengerikan: terbelah-pecah, rebah di bumi, menggeliat, bermandi darah, dan jatuh ke dalam kehinaan yang menyayat hati. Dalam kalangan Kaurava, para pemanah agung dan wira utama, kebanyakannya, tampak seolah-olah musnah sebagai pahlawan kereta perang; para raja ditumbangkan, dan ribuan kuda serta penunggangnya terkapar, tercincang-cincang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores how māyā—delusion, panic, and distorted perception—can collapse courage and judgment in war, leading to moral and physical ruin. It highlights the ethical cost of violence: even the ‘foremost’ heroes become pitiable when the mind is overwhelmed and the body is broken.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops, affected by an illusory power, lose heart and recoil from battle. They perceive their leaders and comrades as grievously mutilated and bloodied, while many principal chariot-warriors, kings, horses, and cavalry have been cut down.