Shloka 8
गदाभिरन्ये गुर्वीभि: परिघैर्मुसलैरपि । पोथिता: शतशः पेतुर्वीरा वीरतरै रणे,अन्य सैकड़ों वीर बड़े-बड़े वीरोंद्वारा भारी गदाओं, परिघों और मुसलोंसे कुचले जाकर रणभूमिमें गिर रहे थे दुर्योधनस्तु राजानं धर्मपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । संशप्तकगणान् क्रुद्धो ह्भ्यधावद् धनंजय: दुर्योधनने धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरपर और क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनने संशप्तकगणोंपर धावा किया
gadābhir anye gurvībhiḥ parighair musalair api | pothitāḥ śataśaḥ petur vīrā vīratarai raṇe ||
duryodhanas tu rājānaṃ dharmaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | saṃśaptakagaṇān kruddho hy abhyadhāvad dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Many other warriors, struck down by heavy maces, iron bludgeons, and pestles, fell by the hundreds on the battlefield—crushed by fighters even more formidable than themselves. Meanwhile, Duryodhana pressed his attack against King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma; and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), burning with anger, charged straight at the Saṃśaptaka host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial excellence, when driven by rivalry and anger, intensifies destruction; it also contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharma-marked identity (dharmaputra) with the battlefield reality where even the righteous are targeted, reminding readers that ethical responsibility in leadership matters most when violence escalates.
Sañjaya describes mass casualties as warriors are crushed by heavy close-combat weapons. In the same moment, Duryodhana advances against King Yudhiṣṭhira, while Arjuna, enraged, rushes to engage the vowed Saṃśaptaka formation.