Shloka 20
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
संहारे सर्वतो जाते पृथिव्यां शोकसम्भवे । बद्दीनामुत्तमस्त्रीणां सीमन्तोद्धरणे तथा
saṃhāre sarvato jāte pṛthivyāṃ śokasambhave | baddhīnām uttamastrīṇāṃ sīmanto-ddharaṇe tathā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Apabila pembunuhan berlaku di setiap penjuru di bumi, membawa dukacita bersamanya—apabila tanda belahan rambut yang bertuah (sindūra) pada ramai wanita bangsawan terhapus (kerana suami mereka gugur)—maka ketika pertempuran memecahkan segala batas kewajaran dan kawalan diri, muncullah alamat-alamat ngeri yang meramalkan kebinasaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When war abandons restraint and dharmic limits, its harm is not only physical but social and moral: it spreads grief across the land, symbolized by the wiping away of women’s auspicious marks, and nature itself seems to warn through ominous signs.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield turning into all-sided carnage. The scale of death brings universal sorrow, including the bereavement of many women, and at that moment terrifying portents arise, signaling impending ruin.