Shloka 32
Droṇasya raudra-prayogaḥ
Droṇa’s intensified assault and the Pāṇḍava response
तावकानां मुखे कर्ण: परेषां च धनंजय: । ततो जयाभिसंरब्धौ परस्परवधैषिणौ
tāvakānāṃ mukhe karṇaḥ pareṣāṃ ca dhanaṃjayaḥ | tato jayābhisaṃrabdhau parasparavadhaiṣiṇau ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa stood at the forefront of your forces, and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) at the forefront of the opposing host. Then, fired by the desire for victory, the two—each seeking the other’s death—closed in against one another.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the pursuit of victory in war can intensify into personal enmity—‘seeking each other’s death’—underscoring the ethical strain of kṣatriya duty: even when battle is framed as duty, the mind’s fixation on triumph and vengeance can eclipse restraint and discernment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa leads the Kaurava vanguard while Arjuna leads the opposing front. The two principal champions, stirred by the urge to win, move toward direct confrontation, each intent on killing the other.