Shloka 546
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
घोरै: प्रहरणैश्नान्यै: क्षुरधारैरयोमयै: । कुछ लोग पत्थर बरसाने लगे, कुछ जलते लुआठे चलाने लगे, दूसरे भयंकर अस्त्र- शस्त्रोंस काम लेने लगे और कितने ही लोहनिर्मित छुरोंकी तीखी धारोंसे चोट करने लगे
ghoraiḥ praharaṇaiś cānyaiḥ kṣuradhārair ayomayaiḥ |
Bhishma berkata: “Ada yang menyerang dengan senjata lain yang mengerikan, dan ada pula yang melukakan dengan bilah besi yang diasah setajam mata pisau cukur.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral degradation that accompanies unchecked conflict: once compassion and restraint are abandoned, people resort to increasingly horrific means of harm. In Shanti Parva’s ethical frame, such escalation is a sign of adharma and a warning about the consequences of cruelty.
Bhishma is describing a violent episode in which combatants employ dreadful weapons, including iron implements with razor-like edges, emphasizing the intensity and brutality of the fighting.