Shloka 61
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
विश्राव्य नाम निहता बहव: शूरसम्मता: । भारत! कर्णने चेदि, केकय और पांचाल योद्धाओंमेंसे बहुत-से शूरसम्मत रथियोंको नाम सुनाकर मार डाला ।। मम चासीन्मती राजन् दृष्टवा कर्णस्य विक्रमम्,राजन! कर्णका पराक्रम देखकर मेरे मनमें यही निश्चय हुआ कि युद्धस्थलमें एक भी पांचाल योद्धा सूतपुत्रके हाथसे जीवित नहीं छूट सकता; क्योंकि सूतपुत्र बारंबार युद्धस्थलमें पांचालोंका ही विनाश कर रहा था
sañjaya uvāca |
viśrāvya nāma nihatā bahavaḥ śūrasammatāḥ |
bhārata! karṇena cedi-kekaya-pāñcāla-yoddhebhyaḥ bahavo rathinaḥ śūrasammatā nāma-śrāvaṇenaiva nihataḥ ||
mama cāsīn matiḥ rājan dṛṣṭvā karṇasya vikramam |
rājan! yuddhasthale ekaḥ api pāñcāla-yoddhā sūtaputrasya hastāt jīvitaḥ na mokṣyate iti |
yataḥ sūtaputraḥ punaḥ punaḥ yuddhasthale pāñcālānāṃ vināśam eva karoti ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, Karṇa, proclaiming their very names, struck down many warriors renowned for valor—many chariot-fighters among the Cedis, Kekayas, and Pāñcālas. Seeing Karṇa’s prowess, O King, I became convinced that on the battlefield not even a single Pāñcāla warrior would escape alive from the Sūta’s son; for again and again he was bringing about the destruction of the Pāñcālas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying momentum of violence in war: prowess becomes a force that appears inevitable, and the narrator’s mind moves from observation to grim certainty. It also shows how social labels (like “sūtaputra”) persist even amid heroic deeds, shaping how actions are framed and remembered.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa is cutting down many famed chariot-warriors from the Cedi, Kekaya, and Pāñcāla forces, even calling out their names as he kills them. Witnessing this, Sañjaya concludes that no Pāñcāla will survive Karṇa’s onslaught, since Karṇa repeatedly focuses on their destruction.