Shloka 17
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
रथी रथिनमासाद्य प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् । तथेतरान् समासाद्य नरनागाश्चसादिन:,रथीने रथीका सामना करके उसे यमलोक पहुँचा दिया। पैदल, हाथीसवार और घुड़सवारोंने भी एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर ऐसा ही किया
sañjaya uvāca | rathī rathinam āsādya prāhiṇod yamasādanam | tathā itarān samāsādya nara-nāgāś ca sādināḥ |
رتھی نے رتھی کا سامنا کر کے اسے یم کے آستانے تک پہنچا دیا۔ اسی طرح پیادے، ہاتھی سوار اور گھڑ سوار بھی اپنے اپنے ہم پلہ حریفوں سے ٹکرا کر ایک دوسرے کو یم دھام بھیجنے لگے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: when combatants meet their equals, death becomes the immediate consequence. It implicitly reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—kṣatriya duty and valor operate within a tragic economy of reciprocal violence, where victory often means sending another to death.
Sañjaya describes intense close-quarters fighting: chariot-warriors clash with chariot-warriors, and similarly infantry, elephant-units, and cavalry engage their counterparts, each side striking down the other amid the chaos of the battle.