Shloka 26
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
धार्तराष्ट्रा रणे यत्नात् पाण्डवान् प्रत्ययोधयन् | वे अतिरथी वीर थे। उन्होंने अपने बाणोंद्वारा युद्धस्थलमें रथयूथपतियोंको विदीर्ण करके यमलोक भेज दिया। युगान्तमें कालके समान उस युद्धमें कुन्ती-कुमार अर्जुनके द्वारा आपके सैनिकोंका भयंकर विनाश हो रहा था
dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe yatnāt pāṇḍavān pratyayodhayan | te atirathī vīrāḥ teṣāṃ bāṇair yuddhasthale rathayūthapatīn vidīrya yamalokaṃ preṣayām āsuḥ | yugānte kāla iva tasmin yuddhe kuntīkumāreṇārjunena tava sainyasya bhayaṅkaro vināśo bhavati sma, tathāpi te yatnapūrvakaṃ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha yuyudhire || paristomaiḥ kuthābhiś ca kambalaiś ca mahādhanaiḥ | bhūrbhāti bharataśreṣṭha sragdāmair iva citritā ||
三阇耶说道：持国之子在战阵中竭尽全力，与般度诸子相抗。那些英雄——至强的车战勇士（阿提罗陀）——以箭矢洞穿战场上车队之长，将其送往阎摩之界。然而在那场战斗里，恰如劫末之时的“时”（迦罗），昆蒂之子阿周那正对你的军队施以可怖的毁灭；即便如此，他们仍以坚决之志与般度诸子鏖战不息。噢，婆罗多族中最卓越者，那里的地面又散布着贵重的铺盖——paristoma、kuthā与华美毯褥——仿佛被多彩花鬘涂绘一般。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the ethical gravity and inevitability of consequences in war: even great warriors striving with full effort cannot escape the larger moral and temporal forces symbolized by Arjuna as 'Time at the end of an age.' It highlights kṣatriya resolve while reminding that death and ruin are unavoidable once adharma-driven conflict has ripened.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava warriors are fighting hard and killing commanders, yet Arjuna is devastating Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forces like apocalyptic Time. The battlefield is described vividly: the earth is strewn with costly rugs and blankets, making it look as if decorated with colorful garlands.