Shloka 23
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
एत्तिसड्घा हयारोहै: सादिसड्घाश्न पत्तिभि: । पात्यमाना व्यदृश्यन्त शतशो5थ सहसत्रश:
ettisaṅghā hayārohaiḥ sādisāṅghāś ca pattibhiḥ | pātyamānā vyadṛśyanta śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：只见步兵的队伍被骑兵击溃，而骑兵的队伍又被步兵所歼——成百上千地倒下。此景凸显战斗阴惨的互报：勇力与位置并不带来道德上的豁免，暴力的代价无量倍增。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate, multiplying nature of warfare: opposing arms neutralize each other, and death spreads in vast numbers. Ethically, it points to the heavy human cost that accompanies kṣatriya conflict, reminding the listener that victory is purchased through widespread suffering.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield spectacle at Kurukṣetra: horsemen are felling masses of infantry, while infantry in turn bring down masses of horsemen, with casualties occurring in the hundreds and thousands.