Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 3
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
ततः पक्ष: प्रपक्षश्न शकुनिश्चापि सौबल: । तदा सश्त्रा: कुरवो भीममभ्यद्रवन् रणे
tataḥ pakṣaḥ prapakṣaś ca śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ | tadā saśastrāḥ kuravo bhīmam abhyadravan raṇe ||
Sañjaya said: “Then the troops stationed on the flank and the counter-flank, along with Śakuni, the son of Subala, and the armed Kuru warriors, surged forward in the battlefield and rushed upon Bhīma (Vṛkodara).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare amplifies strategic coordination and collective force, raising ethical tension: even when combat is a Kṣatriya duty, the manner of fighting—mass assault, tactical encirclement, and intent—tests the boundaries of dharma and restraint.
Sañjaya reports that units positioned on the flank and counter-flank, together with Śakuni and other armed Kaurava fighters, launch a coordinated charge against Bhīma on the battlefield.