Shloka 8
कथं चैव महद् युद्ध प्रावर्तत सुदारुणम् । क्व च बीभत्सुरभवद् यत् कर्णोड्याद् युधिष्ठिरम्,यह अत्यन्त भयंकर महायुद्ध किस प्रकार आरम्भ हुआ? अर्जुन कहाँ थे कि कर्णने युधिष्ठिरपर आक्रमण कर दिया?
sañjaya uvāca |
kathaṃ caiva mahad yuddhaṃ prāvartata sudāruṇam |
kva ca bībhatsur abhavad yat karṇo ’dyād yudhiṣṭhiram ||
Sañjaya said: “How did that great and exceedingly dreadful battle come to be set in motion? And where was Arjuna (Bībhatsu) that Karṇa was able to assail Yudhiṣṭhira?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and strategic anxiety of war: when a principal protector is absent, even a righteous leader becomes vulnerable. It implicitly underscores the dharmic expectation that key warriors uphold their protective duties, and that the course of battle can turn on presence, timing, and responsibility.
Sañjaya reports and frames a critical moment by asking how the terrible battle escalated and why Arjuna was not in position, allowing Karṇa to attack Yudhiṣṭhira. The question sets up an explanation of battlefield movements and the circumstances leading to Yudhiṣṭhira’s peril.