Mahabharata 9.8.17 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 8, Shloka 17
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
हते द्रोणे च भीष्मे च सूतपुत्रे च पातिते । शल्य: पार्थान् रणे सर्वान् निहनिष्यति मारिष
hate droṇe ca bhīṣme ca sūtaputre ca pātite | śalyaḥ pārthān raṇe sarvān nihaniṣyati māriṣa ||
جب درون اور بھیشم مارے گئے اور سوت پتر کرن بھی گرا دیا گیا، اے معزز نریش! تمہارے بیٹوں کے دل میں یہ زبردست امید پیدا ہوئی: “شلیہ جنگ میں پرتھا کے سب بیٹوں کو قتل کر دے گا۔”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, even after catastrophic losses, attachment to victory can generate renewed—and often unrealistic—confidence. It underscores the moral and psychological momentum of war: hope can persist as a form of denial, prolonging violence rather than prompting reflection on dharma and the cost of continued conflict.
After the deaths of major Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Karṇa—Sañjaya reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas) place their remaining hope in Śalya, believing he will be able to kill all the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield.
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