Shloka 12
कर्णस्य एकाकि-प्रहारः तथा पाण्डव-महारथ-परिवेष्टनम् | Karṇa’s concentrated assault and the Pāṇḍava encirclement
स संनिपातो रथयूथपानां बभूव राजन्नतिभीमरूप: । जनक्षय: कालयुगान्तकल्प: प्रावर्तताग्रे कुरुसूजजयानाम्,राजन! रथयूथपतियोंका वह संघर्ष बड़ा भयंकर था। कौरवों और सूंजयोंके आगे प्रलयकालके समान जनसंहार आरम्भ हो गया था
sa saṁnipāto rathayūthapānāṁ babhūva rājann atibhīmarūpaḥ | janakṣayaḥ kālayugāntakalpaḥ prāvartatāgre kurusṛñjayānām ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the massed clash of the chieftains of the chariot-squadrons became terrifying in form. At the very front of the Kurus and the Sṛñjayas, a slaughter of men began—like the doom that comes at the end of an age.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: once collective violence is set in motion, it rapidly becomes impersonal and apocalyptic, driven by kāla (Time/Death). It warns that power and command (the chariot-leaders) do not prevent catastrophe; they can accelerate it when dharma is eclipsed.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the commanders of chariot-squadrons have collided in a fierce engagement. At the battle’s forefront, among the Kurus and the Sṛñjayas, a massive slaughter begins, compared to the destruction at the end of an age.