Mahabharata 9.23.4 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 23, 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 ||
Disse Sañjaya: Naquela batalha—semelhante à guerra lendária entre deuses e asuras—não houve um só homem que voltasse o rosto para fugir, nem entre as tuas tropas nem entre as do inimigo. De ambos os lados, o combate foi enfrentado com igual firmeza, revelando uma sombria igualdade de coragem num conflito movido por rivalidade e dever.
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.
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