Shloka 13
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
ततो वर्षसहस्रे तु समेष्याम: परस्परम् । एकीभावं गमिष्यन्ति पुराण्येतानि चानघ
tato varṣasahasre tu sameṣyāmaḥ parasparam | ekībhāvaṃ gamiṣyanti purāṇy etāni cānagha, nibodha manasā cātra na te kāryā vicāraṇā |
Then, after a thousand years, we shall meet one another. And when these ancient cities (the three aerial forts) come together and become one, understand this with a steady mind, O sinless one—there should be no doubt in you about it. (The narrative implies a fated condition: only when the three forts align into a single unity can they be destroyed, and that too by a single arrow.)
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses unwavering comprehension of a destined condition: when separate powers unite into a single vulnerable moment (ekībhāva), the decisive outcome becomes possible; therefore one should not waver in doubt about the stated law/condition.
Duryodhana recounts a prior mythic account about the three puras: after a thousand years they will meet and become one; he urges the listener to grasp this firmly, since the later destruction of the united forts depends on this specific alignment.