Shloka 253
ददर्श द्वैरथं ताभ्यां जातकौतूहलो जन: । सारी सेनाएँ मौन थीं, योद्धा युद्धसे विरत हो गये थे, सब लोग कौतूहलवश उन दोनोंके द्वैरथ युद्धका दृश्य देखने लगे
dadarśa dvairathaṁ tābhyāṁ jātakautūhalo janaḥ |
Sañjaya said: The people, stirred by curiosity, watched the chariot-duel between those two. The armies fell silent; the warriors paused from fighting, and all eyes turned to the spectacle of their single combat—an interlude in the larger war where attention shifts from mass slaughter to the prowess and fate of two champions.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid collective warfare, attention often gravitates to individual prowess and rivalry; the verse highlights how public fascination can momentarily suspend the wider violence, reminding readers that war is also shaped by reputation, spectacle, and the moral weight placed on personal combat.
Sañjaya reports that the crowd watches a dvairatha—single combat between two chariot-warriors. The surrounding forces become quiet and pause their fighting, focusing on the outcome of this duel.