Shloka 19
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अतिप्रवृत्ते युद्धे च छिद्यमानेषु मर्मसु । धावमानेषु योधेषु जयगृद्धिषु मारिष
sañjaya uvāca | atipravṛtte yuddhe ca chidyamāneṣu marmasu | dhāvamāneṣu yodheṣu jayagṛddhiṣu māriṣa ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang mulia, apabila pertempuran menjadi terlalu lepas tanpa kendali—apabila titik-titik maut dipotong dan ditembusi, dan para pahlawan yang dahagakan kemenangan berlari ke sana ke mari—maka pertempuran itu melampaui batas kewajaran dan berubah menjadi pembantaian yang kejam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war, once it exceeds restraint (maryādā), becomes ethically corrosive: the pursuit of victory (jaya-gṛddhi) leads to attacks on vital points (marma), turning combat into indiscriminate destruction and signaling a collapse of dharmic limits.
Sañjaya reports to the blind king (addressed as māriṣa) that the battle has intensified into a chaotic melee: warriors are rushing in all directions, striking at vulnerable vital spots, driven by the desire to win.