Shloka 5
स संनिपातस्तु तयोर्महान भूत् सुरेशवैरोचनयोर्यथा पुरा । शरैविंनुन्नाड्शनियन्तृवाहयो: सुदुःसहो<न्यै: कठुशोणितोदक:,उन दोनोंका वह संग्राम वैसा ही महान् था, जैसा कि पूर्वकालमें इन्द्र और बलिका युद्ध हुआ था। बाणोंके आघातसे उन दोनोंके शरीर, सारथि और घोड़े क्षत-विक्षत हो गये थे और वहाँ कटु रक्तरूपी जलका प्रवाह बह रहा था। वह युद्ध दूसरोंके लिये अत्यन्त दुःसह था
sa sannipātas tu tayor mahān bhūt sureśa-vairocanayor yathā purā | śarair vinunnāḍaśa-niyantrivāhayor suduḥsaho 'nyaiḥ kaṭu-śoṇitodakaḥ ||
स संनिपातस्तु तयोर्महानभूत् सुरेशवैरोचनयोर्यथा पुरा। शरैर्विनुन्नाङ्गरथाश्वसारथी सुदुःसहोऽन्यैः कटुशोणितोदकः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension central to the Mahābhārata: even when framed as heroic duty, war’s ‘greatness’ is inseparable from widespread suffering. The epic simile (Indra vs. Bali) magnifies the scale, while the imagery of blood flowing like water reminds the listener that glory is purchased with unbearable pain.
Sañjaya describes an intense duel between two principal warriors (contextually, the leading champions on the battlefield). Their encounter swells into a colossal fight, compared to the mythic conflict of Indra and Bali; arrows mutilate bodies, charioteers, and horses, and the battlefield runs with blood, making the scene dreadful for onlookers.