Shloka 23
Droṇa Interdicts Sātyaki; Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and Duel with Kṛtavarmā (द्रोण-निवारणम्, सात्यकि-प्रवेशः, कृतवर्म-युद्धम्)
यथा तु पुरुषव्याघ्रैर्युद्धं परमसंकटम् । कुरूणां पाण्डवै: सार्ध तत् सर्व शृणु तत्त्वतः,पुरुषसिंह पाण्डवोंके साथ कौरवोंका जिस प्रकार अत्यन्त संकटपूर्ण युद्ध हुआ है, वह सब आप ठीक-ठीक सुनिये
sañjaya uvāca | yathā tu puruṣavyāghrair yuddhaṃ paramasaṅkaṭam | kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavaiḥ sārdhaṃ tat sarvaṃ śṛṇu tattvataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O tiger among men, hear from me in full truth how that exceedingly perilous battle unfolded—when the Kurus fought together with the Pāṇḍavas—so that the entire course of events may be understood as it really was.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds truthful narration (tattvataḥ): even amid partisan war, the ethical demand is to report events accurately and completely, so that judgment about dharma and conduct rests on reality rather than rumor or passion.
Sañjaya, the royal narrator, addresses a 'tiger among men' (likely Dhṛtarāṣṭra) and introduces a detailed account of a highly perilous phase of fighting between the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, inviting the listener to hear the full, factual sequence.