Shloka 42
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्
Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement
कितने ही कुलीन रथी अपने शरीरोंको निछावर करके भारी-से-भारी शक्ति लगाकर विपक्षी रथियोंके साथ निर्भयकी भाँति महान् पराक्रम प्रकट कर रहे थे ।।
svayaṃvara ivāmarde prajahur itaretaram | prārthayānā yaśo rājan svargaṃ vā yuddhe śālinaḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: O Hari, ang mga mandirigmang nagningning sa digmaan ay nagbagsakan sa isa’t isa na wari’y nasa isang svayaṃvara—bawat isa’y naghahangad ng luwalhati o ng langit. Sa walang takot na paninindigan at sa sukdulang pagpupunyagi, maraming maharlikang mandirigmang nasa karwahe ang nag-alay maging ng sariling katawan at nagpakita ng dakilang kabayanihan laban sa mga karwaheng kalaban.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kṣatriya ideal: warriors enter battle seeking either lasting renown (yaśas) or heavenly reward (svarga), accepting bodily sacrifice as the price of duty and valor. It frames combat as a public arena of merit and reputation, where fearlessness and exertion are ethically valorized within the war-code.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become a fierce mutual contest: distinguished fighters strike one another down relentlessly. The comparison to a svayaṃvara underscores the competitive intensity—each warrior ‘competes’ for the prize of glory or heaven through conspicuous bravery.