संग्रामे भरतश्रेष्ठ देवानां दानवैरिव । भरतभूषण! उनका वह भयंकर युद्ध देवासुरसंग्रामके समान रोंगटे खड़े कर देनेवाला था
saṅgrāme bharataśreṣṭha devānāṃ dānavair iva | bharatabhūṣaṇa! unakā vaha bhayaṅkara yuddha devāsura-saṅgrāma-ke samāna roṅgaṭe khaḍe kara dene-vālā thā |
सञ्जय उवाच—संग्रामे भरतश्रेष्ठ, देवानां दानवैरिव। स घोरः समरस्तेषां देवासुरसमोपमः, रोमहर्षणोऽभवत्।
संजय उवाच
The verse frames human warfare within a cosmic moral imagination: the Kurukṣetra battle is portrayed as so vast and dreadful that it resembles the archetypal devas-versus-asuras conflict. Ethically, it underscores the gravity of kṣatriya violence—its awe, terror, and world-shaking consequences—rather than glorifying it.
Sañjaya is reporting the intensity of the fighting to the Bharata king (addressed with honorifics). He uses a powerful simile—comparing the scene to the divine-demonic war—to convey how frightening and extraordinary the battle has become.