Shloka 4
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
तावकानां परेषां च देवासुररणोपमम् । परेषां तव सैन्ये वा नासीत् कश्चित् पराड्मुख:
tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca devāsura-raṇopamam | pareṣāṃ tava sainye vā nāsīt kaścit parāṅmukhaḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: Dalam pertempuran itu—laksana perang legenda antara para dewa dan asura—tiada seorang pun memalingkan muka untuk lari, sama ada dari pihakmu mahupun pihak musuh. Kedua-dua pihak menyambut tempur dengan keteguhan yang sama, menampakkan kesetaraan suram dalam keberanian di tengah konflik yang digerakkan oleh persaingan dan kewajipan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in the face of danger: neither side yielded to fear. Ethically, it underscores the kṣatriya ideal of not turning away from battle, while also hinting at the tragic symmetry of valor on both sides in a destructive war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the fighting was intense and evenly met—like the mythic Deva–Asura battles—and that no warrior in either army turned back in retreat.