Shloka 16
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो यथावत् स गदाग्रज: प्रभु: शशंस तस्मै निखिलेन तत्त्वतः । युधिष्ठिरायाप्रतिमौजसे तदा यथाभवत् क्षत्रियसंकुला मही
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato yathāvat sa gadāgrajaḥ prabhuḥ śaśaṃsa tasmai nikhilena tattvataḥ | yudhiṣṭhirāyāpratimaujase tadā yathābhavat kṣatriyasaṅkulā mahī ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：于是，主宰——伽陀之兄奎师那——便依次如实、毫无隐讳地向他陈述一切真相。对光辉无比的尤提士提罗，他说明了当时大地如何因刹帝利的尸身倒伏而充塞，并被其所覆盖。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes truthful, complete, and orderly recounting of events—especially the catastrophic cost of war—so that a dharmic ruler can reflect ethically on violence, responsibility, and the consequences of kṣatriya conflict.
After Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry, Kṛṣṇa (called Gadāgraja) begins to narrate in full detail how the earth became strewn with the slain kṣatriyas—setting the stage for a sober account of the war’s devastation.