Shloka 12
Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
उन दोनोंके घोर संग्राममें पांचालोंसहित पाण्डव और दूसरे नृपश्रेष्ठ योद्धा दर्शक होकर तमाशा देखने लगे ।। नाराचैववत्सदन्तैश्व वृष्ण्यन्धकमहारथौ । अभिजलन्नतुरन्योन्यं प्रह्षशाविव कुज्जरौ
sañjaya uvāca | ubhayos tayoḥ ghore saṅgrāme pāñcālaiḥ saha pāṇḍavāś ca anye ca nṛpaśreṣṭhā yoddhā darśakā bhūtvā tamāśāṃ draṣṭuṃ pracakramuḥ || nārācaiś ca vatsadantaiś ca vṛṣṇyandhaka-mahārathau | abhijalantau raṇe ’nyonyaṃ prahṛṣṭāv iva kuñjarau ||
Sañjaya sprach: In jenem schrecklichen Zusammenstoß der beiden standen die Pāṇḍava mit den Pañcāla und anderen erlesenen Königen und Kriegern als Zuschauer da und sahen zu, als wäre es ein Schauspiel. Die beiden großen Wagenkämpfer der Vṛṣṇi und Andhaka, die nārāca-Pfeile und scharfe, kalbzahnförmige Geschosse schleuderten, griffen einander an, jubelnd wie zwei brünstige Elefanten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can be perceived as a ‘spectacle’ even by great warriors, pointing to the ethical tension in epic warfare: martial prowess and exhilaration coexist with the grim reality of violence. It implicitly cautions that fascination with combat can dull moral sensitivity, even among the righteous.
Sañjaya describes a fierce engagement where the Pāṇḍavas and their allies, along with other kings, pause as onlookers while two elite groups—Vṛṣṇi and Andhaka mahārathas—attack each other intensely with specialized missiles (nārācas and vatsadantas), compared to two excited elephants clashing.