Shloka 79
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
रात्रि: समभवत् तत्र नापश्याम ततो<नुगान् | ततो<वहारं सैन्यानां प्रचक्रु: कुरुपाण्डवा:
sañjaya uvāca | rātriḥ samabhavat tatra nāpaśyāma tato'nugān | tato'vahāraṃ sainyānāṃ pracakruḥ kuru-pāṇḍavā bharatanandana |
三阇耶说道：那里夜色已至，我们再也看不见随从侍者。于是，噢，婆罗多族的骄子，俱卢与般度双方都安排本军撤离战场。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in total war, action is bounded by practical and ethical limits: darkness, loss of visibility, and the exhaustion of troops compel restraint. The verse highlights the necessity of command discipline—ordering withdrawal to prevent further indiscriminate harm when conditions no longer allow responsible combat.
As night descends and attendants cannot be seen, both sides—the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas—issue orders for their armies to withdraw from the battlefield, marking a pause in fighting after severe fatigue and chaos.