Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
विजित्य समरे योधांस्तावकान् भरतर्षभ
vijitya samare yodhāṁs tāvakān bharatarṣabha
विजित्य समरे योधान् तावकान् भरतर्षभ, पाण्डवो हर्षयामास स्वान् बलान् परवीरहा।
संजय उवाच
The line underscores the moral weight of victory in a fratricidal war: triumph over one’s own kin and allies is narrated not as mere glory but as a consequential turning point, inviting reflection on power, responsibility, and the costs borne by those who claim ownership of an army (“your warriors”).
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and begins describing an episode in which the opposing side has defeated the Kaurava fighters in battle; the verse functions as a lead-in to the next action or outcome that follows this conquest.