Mahabharata 9.23.5 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 5
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
आपके और शत्रुओंके योद्धाओंका वह युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान भयंकर था। उस समय शत्रुओंकी अथवा आपकी सेनामें भी कोई युद्धसे विमुख नहीं होता था ।।
anumānena yudhyante saṃjñābhiś ca parasparam | teṣāṃ kṣayo mahān āsīd yudhyatām itaretaram ||
Disse Sañjaya: Combatendo uns contra os outros por sinais e por inferência, avançaram naquela batalha aterradora—como o choque de deuses e asuras. Ninguém em qualquer dos exércitos, o teu ou o do inimigo, se afastou do combate; e, golpeando-se sem cessar, a destruição entre eles tornou-se imensa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war rapidly becomes a realm of confusion where fighters act on signals and guesswork, yet remain bound by martial resolve; the ethical undertone is the tragic inevitability of massive loss once collective violence is fully unleashed.
Sañjaya describes an intensely chaotic phase of the battle in which both sides continue fighting without retreat; amid noise and disorder they coordinate by signs and inference, and the mutual fighting results in heavy casualties.
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