Shloka 39
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
तत:ः शरसहस्रेण तावुभौ पुरुषर्षभौ । अन्योन्यमाच्छादयतामथो5भज्यत वाहिनी,तदनन्तर उन दोनों नरश्रेष्ठ वीरोंने सहस्रों बाणोंद्वारा एक-दूसरेको आच्छादित कर दिया। इसी समय कौरव-सेनामें भगदड़ मच गयी
tataḥ śara-sahasreṇa tāv ubhau puruṣarṣabhau | anyonyam ācchādayatām atho 'bhajyata vāhinī ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da bedeckten jene beiden Helden, Stiere unter den Menschen, einander mit Tausenden von Pfeilen. In eben diesem Augenblick begann das Heer der Kauravas auseinanderzubrechen, und eine wilde Flucht ergriff das Aufgebot.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic and reality: the duel of leading warriors can determine the spirit of an entire army. When champions meet with overwhelming force, the wider host may lose cohesion, reminding readers that collective stability depends on leadership, courage, and disciplined order (dharma of the army).
Sañjaya describes two foremost heroes exchanging massive volleys of arrows, each obscuring the other. As their clash intensifies, the Kaurava formation breaks and panic spreads, producing a rout within the army.