Shloka 14
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
“राजन! मैं हाथमें आयुध लेकर रथपर बैठा रहूँ, उस अवस्थामें यदि वज्र धारण करनेवाले इन्द्र भी कुपित होकर आ जाय॑ँ तो उनसे भी मुझे भय न होगा। भीष्म आदि महारथियोंको रणभूमिमें सदाके लिये सोया हुआ देखकर भी अस्थिरता (घबराहट) मुझसे दूर ही रहती है ।।
rājan! ahaṁ hastam āyudhaṁ gṛhītvā rathopaviṣṭaḥ tiṣṭheyam; tasminn avasthāyāṁ yadi vajradhara indro 'pi kupitaḥ samāyāyāt, tato 'pi me bhayaṁ na syāt. bhīṣmādīn mahārathīn raṇabhūmau sadā-kṛte śayānān dṛṣṭvā 'pi asthiratā (ghabarāhaṭ) matto dūram eva tiṣṭhati. mahendra-viṣṇu-pratimāv aninditau rathāśva-nāga-pravara-pramāthinau avadhya-kalpau nihatau yadā parais tato na me 'py asti raṇe 'dya sādhvasam.
桑阇耶说道：“大王啊，我若执兵在手，端坐战车之上，纵使执金刚杵的帝释天震怒而至，我亦不惧。即便见到毗湿摩以及诸位大车战士长眠于战场，如同永睡不醒，惊惶也远离于我。因为当毗湿摩与德罗那——无可指摘、为众所颂、勇猛如帝释与毗湿奴，能碾碎上等战车、骏马与象王，几近不可杀——尚且被敌人所诛，那么我又算得了什么？然而即使如此思量，今日在战场上，我心中仍无惧意。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a warrior’s cultivated steadiness: even the fall of seemingly invincible heroes (Bhishma and Drona) becomes a reminder of mortality and fate, yet it does not produce panic. It frames courage as mental firmness amid the recognition that no one is beyond death.
Sanjaya addresses King Dhritarashtra and reports a stance of fearlessness on the battlefield. He says that even if Indra came in anger he would not fear, and he reflects that if Bhishma and Drona—likened to Indra and Vishnu—could be slain, then his own life is certainly fragile; nevertheless, he feels no dread today in battle.