Shloka 1
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
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sañjaya uvāca | madhyandine mahārāja saṅgrāmaḥ samapadyata | lokakṣayakaro raudro bhīṣmasya saha somakaiḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “O King, by midday a battle had fully erupted—fierce and dreadful, bringing ruin upon the people—between Bhishma and the Somakas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical cost of war: even when fought by renowned warriors, battle becomes “lokakṣayakara”—a force of collective ruin. It frames the Kurukṣetra conflict as not merely heroic combat but a calamity with broad human consequences.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that by midday the fighting has intensified into a fierce, dreadful engagement, specifically highlighting Bhīṣma’s clash with the Somakas (Pañcāla-aligned forces).