Mahabharata 7.155.7 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 155, Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
पत्तयश्न महाबाहो शतश: शस्त्रपाणय: । अन्योन्यमार्दयन् राजन् नित्यं यत्ता: पराक्रमे,राजन! हाथोंमें शस्त्र लिये सैकड़ों पैदल सैनिक सदा पराक्रमके लिये प्रयत्नशील हो एक-दूसरेपर चोट कर रहे थे
pattayaś ca mahābāho śataśaḥ śastrapāṇayaḥ | anyonyam ārdayan rājan nityaṁ yattāḥ parākrame ||
மகாபாகு அரசே, ஆயுதம் கையில் கொண்ட நூற்றுக்கணக்கான காலாட்கள், எப்போதும் வீரத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தத் துடித்து, நெருக்குப் போரில் ஒருவரையொருவர் தொடர்ந்து தாக்கி நசுக்கினர்।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the relentless momentum of war: armed men, driven by the ideal of martial prowess, engage in mutual harm. Ethically, it highlights how the pursuit of valor (parākrama) in a battlefield context can normalize continual violence, inviting reflection on the costs of kṣatriya duty when dharma is contested.
Sañjaya reports to the King that hundreds of infantrymen, weapons in hand, are locked in ongoing close combat, striking one another repeatedly as they strive to prove their valor.
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