Shloka 145
संशप्तकांश्व॒ कौन्तेय: कुरूंश्वापि वृकोदर: | वसुषेणश्न पञज्चालान् क्षणेन व्यधमद् रणे,उस समय रणभूमिमें कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनने संशप्तकोंका, भीमसेनने कौरवोंका और कर्णने पांचाल-सैनिकोंका क्षणभरमें संहार कर डाला
saṃśaptakāṃś ca kaunteyaḥ kurūṃś cāpi vṛkodaraḥ | vasuṣeṇaś ca pāñcālān kṣaṇena vyadhamad raṇe ||
Sañjaya said: In that moment on the battlefield, Arjuna, son of Kuntī, swiftly crushed the Saṃśaptakas; Bhīma, the wolf-bellied, struck down the Kurus; and Karṇa, son of Vasu, annihilated the Pāñcāla warriors in an instant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly war escalates into mass destruction when great warriors engage. It implicitly presses the ethical reflection central to the Mahābhārata: even when fighting under kṣatriya-dharma, the speed and scale of killing intensify responsibility and the tragic cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that three leading fighters each devastate a specific opposing contingent: Arjuna routs the Saṃśaptakas, Bhīma crushes Kuru troops, and Karṇa destroys the Pāñcāla soldiers—each feat occurring with startling rapidity on the battlefield.