Shloka 22
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
भीषणं सुमहाराज सिंहनादविराजितम् | महाराज! तदनन्तर कर्णका पाण्डवोंके साथ भीषण युद्ध आरम्भ हुआ, जो सिंहनादसे सुशोभित हो रहा था ।। ततस्ते पाण्डवा राजन् पज्चालाश्न यशस्विन:
bhīṣaṇaṁ sumahārāja siṁhanādavirājitam | mahārāja! tadanantaraṁ karṇakā pāṇḍavonke sātha bhīṣaṇa yuddha ārambha huā, jo siṁhanādase suśobhita ho rahā thā || tataste pāṇḍavā rājan pañcālāś ca yaśasvinaḥ
Sañjaya said: “O great king, then a dreadful battle began between Karṇa and the Pāṇḍavas—made resplendent by the lion-roars of warriors. Thereupon, O king, the Pāṇḍavas and the illustrious Pāñcālas also advanced and joined the fight.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos in war: courage and resolve are expressed through the lion-roar battle-cries, yet the dreadfulness of combat underscores the grave moral weight of conflict and its consequences—especially as witnessed and reported to the king who bears responsibility for the war’s unfolding.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce engagement begins between Karṇa and the Pāṇḍavas, marked by loud war-cries; then the Pāṇḍavas along with their renowned allies, the Pāñcālas, move into action/enter the fight.