Shloka 20
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-समागमः
Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Engagement at Sunset
रथसड्घा नरव्याप्रा: समायान्तश्न संयुगे । विरेजु: समरे राजन् ग्रहा इव नभस्तले
rathasaṅghā naravyāprāḥ samāyāntaś ca saṃyuge | virejuḥ samare rājan grahā iva nabhastale ||
Sañjaya said: O King, as the battle was about to join, the massed companies of chariots and the foremost of men—warrior-kings—advanced into the fray. In that field of combat they shone with a fearful splendor, like the planets and stars adorning the vault of heaven.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can appear outwardly magnificent—like the ordered beauty of the heavens—yet it remains a human clash driven by royal ambition and martial duty. It invites reflection on the contrast between aesthetic splendor and the grave ethical weight of battle.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the chariot formations and leading warriors are advancing into combat. Their assembled forces glitter on the battlefield, compared poetically to planets and stars shining in the sky.