Shloka 26
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-प्रहारः तथा घटोत्कचमायाप्रादुर्भावः | Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Clash and the Manifestation of Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā
ततः प्रववृते युद्धं घोररूपं भयावहम् । तावकानां परेषां च निध्नतामितरेतरम्
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṁ ghorarūpaṁ bhayāvaham | tāvakānāṁ pareṣāṁ ca nighnatām itaretaram ||
Sañjaya said: Then the battle began—terrible in form and fearsome in its consequences—as your warriors and the opposing warriors struck one another down, each slaying the other.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: once violence is unleashed, it becomes mutually destructive and fear-producing, forcing all parties to confront the ethical consequences of hatred and retaliation.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battle has fully commenced; Kaurava and opposing forces begin striking each other with weapons, and the fighting turns intensely dreadful and fearsome.