टीका

Commentary

Verses 26 and 27 form a continuous thought — a single terrifying sentence that Arjuna delivers in breathless horror. Here in verse 26, he begins naming the warriors he sees rushing into the cosmic mouths. In verse 27, he describes what happens to them.

The naming is deliberate and devastating. First, dhritaraashtrasya putraah — all the sons of Dhritarashtra, the hundred Kauravas who are the immediate cause of this war. Then the allied kings (avanipaalasanghaih) who have joined their side. Then the great generals: Bhishma, the grandsire, invincible and lying on the bed of arrows. Drona, the guru, the one who taught both sides the art of war. And sootaputra — the son of the charioteer, Karna, Arjuna’s own unknown brother and greatest rival.

But then comes the line that must have cut Arjuna to the bone: saha asmadeeyaih api yodha-mukhyaih — “together with the chief warriors on our own side also.” This is not just the enemy being devoured. Arjuna’s own allies, his own kinsmen, the warriors fighting for his cause — they too are rushing into the cosmic mouths. The Universal Form does not distinguish between sides. Time consumes all.

This is perhaps the most psychologically devastating moment in the entire Gita. The divine vision that was supposed to strengthen Arjuna’s resolve is showing him that victory and defeat are equally temporary — that the warriors on both sides are already consumed by Time, regardless of who holds the battlefield at the end.