Shloka 43
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
अन्योन्यं समपश्यन्त निकृत्ता मेदिनीतले । विचेष्टमाना: कृपणा: शोणितेन परिप्लुता:
anyonyam samapaśyanta nikṛttā medinītale | viceṣṭamānāḥ kṛpaṇāḥ śoṇitena pariplutāḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Eles olhavam uns para os outros — como se estivessem abatidos e decepados sobre a face da terra — miseráveis, contorcendo-se, encharcados de sangue. A cena expõe o custo moral, cru, da batalha: guerreiros reduzidos a um sofrimento lastimável, um lembrete sombrio de que a vitória na guerra é inseparável de uma vasta ruína humana.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war by foregrounding the immediate human consequence—mutilation, agony, and bloodshed. It functions as a moral mirror: even when framed as duty, warfare entails pervasive suffering that should temper triumphalism and provoke reflection on dharma and responsibility.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is seen on the battlefield: combatants, cut down and fallen to the ground, look at one another while writhing in pain, drenched in blood. The description is observational and visceral, emphasizing the chaos and devastation among the troops.