Shloka 53
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
दृष्टवा विनिहतान् भ्रातृन् भीमसेनेन संयुगे
dṛṣṭvā vinihatān bhrātṝn bhīmasenena saṁyuge
सञ्जय उवाच—भीमसेनेन संयुगे विनिहतान् भ्रातॄन् दृष्ट्वा स तदा मनसि महद् भारं दधार; यत्र स्वपक्षनिष्ठा च क्षात्रधर्मस्य च नियोगः शोकक्रोधौ च परस्परं सङ्घट्टेते, हिंसायाश्चानिवर्तनीयः परिणामो दृश्यते।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical gravity of war: even when actions are framed as duty and strategy, the sight of slain kin exposes the human cost—grief and moral shock—reminding the listener that victory in dharma-yuddha still carries profound personal and societal consequences.
Sañjaya narrates that someone (contextually, a warrior or observer on the Kaurava side) sees his brothers lying dead, killed by Bhīmasena during the battle, setting up an emotional and retaliatory response within the ongoing combat of the Droṇa Parva.