Shloka 20
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
अभ्यवर्तन्त संद्ृष्टा: परस्परवधैषिण: । ते वै समेयु: संग्रामे राजन् दुर्मन्त्रिते तव
sañjaya uvāca | abhyavartanta saṃdṛṣṭāḥ parasparavadhaiṣiṇaḥ | te vai sameyuḥ saṅgrāme rājan durmantrite tava ||
Sañjaya said: Having come into one another’s sight, intent on mutual slaughter, they pressed forward. Indeed, O King, they converged in battle—an encounter brought about by your ill counsel, whose consequence was this warriors’ clash.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral responsibility in governance: destructive outcomes in war are not merely accidental but can be traced to flawed counsel and unethical decision-making, for which the ruler bears accountability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that opposing warriors, once they came within sight of each other, advanced eagerly with the intent to kill, and that their direct clash in battle occurred as a consequence of the king’s misguided policies.