Shloka 9
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
निःश्वसन्ति सम दृश्यन्ते पार्थबाणहता नरा: । तानन्ये रथमारोप्य ह्वाश्वास्य च मुहूर्तकम्
niḥśvasanti sama dṛśyante pārthabāṇahatā narāḥ | tān anye ratham āropya hvāśvāsyā ca muhūrtakam
Sañjaya berkata: “Orang-orang yang ditimpa anak panah Arjuna kelihatan terbaring di situ, tercungap-cungap dan lemah. Yang lain mengangkat para pejuang yang cedera ke atas kereta, memberi mereka air dan seketika ruang untuk bernafas, lalu cuba menyedarkan mereka buat sejenak—gambaran putaran perang yang tidak mengenal henti, di mana belas kasihan muncul hanya dalam sela yang tergesa-gesa di tengah keganasan yang berterusan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of battle: even amid kṣatriya warfare, the sight of wounded men gasping for breath evokes the ethical tension between duty in war and the impulse to relieve suffering—yet such care is fleeting, constrained by the ongoing violence.
Sañjaya reports that warriors struck by Arjuna’s arrows are seen lying and gasping; their companions lift them onto chariots and briefly revive or console them, giving them a momentary respite before the battle’s pressure resumes.