Shloka 48
निवार्य सेनां महतीं हत्वा शूरांश्व पार्थिवान्
nivārya senāṃ mahatīṃ hatvā śūrāṃś ca pārthivān
Wika ni Sanjaya: Matapos mapigil at mapahinto ang napakalaking hukbo, at mapatay ang mga haring magigiting, ipinagpatuloy niya ang daloy ng labanan—wari’y larawan ng mabagsik na pag-igting ng digmaan, kung saan ang pagpipigil ayon sa taktika at ang nakamamatay na lakas ay magkatabing nakatindig, at lalo pang pinatitingkad ang tensiyon sa pagitan ng tungkulin sa pakikidigma at ng kabayarang buhay.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line juxtaposes restraint (nivārya) with killing (hatvā), highlighting a central Mahābhārata tension: even when war is undertaken as a duty, ethical weight remains—discipline and strategy do not erase the human cost, and ‘dharma in battle’ is morally complex rather than triumphalist.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield episode in which a warrior (implied from context) first checks a large opposing force and then slays heroic kings—describing both tactical control over the enemy’s advance and the ensuing lethal engagement among rulers and champions.