Shloka 71
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
निध्नन्तो निशितैःशस्त्रै 20 20० पुत्रान सखीनपि | योधा: परिपतन्ति सम य खगा:
sañjaya uvāca | nighnanto niśitaiḥ śastraiḥ putrān sakhīn api | yodhāḥ paripatanti sma yathā khagāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：战士们以锋利兵刃斩杀，甚至连自己的儿子与友人也不放过，彼此冲扑而上——如群鸟为争肉而俯冲攫取。那场屠戮之中，亲缘与友谊被战斗的狂热所淹没；战场化作一幅景象：一切伦理之绳都被“必杀”的冲动所遮蔽。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war can eclipse dharma: in the heat of combat, even the most basic ethical bonds—toward sons and friends—can be overridden, revealing the dehumanizing momentum of violence.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where fighters, driven by fury and survival, rush at one another with sharpened weapons, killing indiscriminately—even their own kin—likened to birds swooping for flesh.