Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
स सम्प्रहारस्तुमुलस्तस्य तेषां च धन्विनाम् । देवासुररणप्रख्य: प्रावर्तत जनक्षय:,सात्यकि तथा आपकी सेनाके धनुर्धरोंका वह नरसंहारकारी युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान अत्यन्त भयंकर हो चला
sa samprahāras tumulas tasya teṣāṃ ca dhanvinām | devāsura-raṇa-prakhyaḥ prāvartata jana-kṣayaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: Der Zusammenprall zwischen ihm und jenen Bogenschützen wuchs zu einem tobenden Gefecht an. Da begann das Menschenmorden, schrecklich und weit, wie der sagenhafte Krieg der Götter gegen die Asuras.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: when combat escalates into uncontrolled fury, it becomes jana-kṣaya—mass human destruction—evoking cosmic-scale conflict (deva–asura war) to highlight how violence can eclipse discernment and dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce, chaotic engagement has erupted between the principal warrior (implied by context) and the opposing archers; the fighting intensifies into a devastating slaughter likened to the gods-versus-asuras battle.