Shloka 33
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
बलेरिव सुरै: पूर्व त्रलोक्यजयकाड्क्षया । जैसे पूर्वकालमें त्रिलोकीपर विजय पानेकी इच्छासे राजा बलिका देवताओंके साथ युद्ध हुआ था, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यका पाण्डवोंके साथ घोर संग्राम आरम्भ हुआ ।। ३२ $ || तत: सायकजालेन पाण्डवानीकमावृणोत्
sañjaya uvāca | baler iva suraiḥ pūrvaṃ trailokyajayakāṅkṣayā | yathā pūrvakāleṃ trailokyopari vijayaṃ prāptum icchayā rājñā balinā devaiḥ saha yuddham abhavat, tathā droṇācāryasya pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ghoraḥ saṅgrāma ārabdhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Just as in ancient times King Bali, yearning to conquer the three worlds, went to war with the gods, so too did a dreadful battle begin between Droṇācārya and the Pāṇḍavas—showing how the hunger for supremacy kindles conflict, and how war, once unleashed, swells beyond personal rivalry into a struggle with cosmic overtones.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as driven by the craving for dominion—here, the desire to conquer the three worlds. By likening Droṇa’s clash with the Pāṇḍavas to Bali’s conflict with the gods, it suggests that unchecked ambition disrupts order and turns personal aims into catastrophic, world-shaping violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce engagement has begun between Droṇācārya and the Pāṇḍavas. He heightens the moment through a mythic comparison: Bali’s ancient war with the devas, fought for mastery of the three worlds.