Shloka 9
कर्णस्य पुत्र तु रथी सुषेणं समागतं सृंजयश्चोत्तमौजा: । गान्धारराजं सहदेव: क्षुधार्तोी महर्षभं सिंह इवाभ्यधावत्
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇasya putras tu rathī suṣeṇaṁ samāgataṁ sṛñjayaś cottamaujāḥ |
gāndhārarājaṁ sahadevaḥ kṣudhārto mahārṣabhaṁ siṁha ivābhyadhāvat ||
Sanjaya said: Then Uttamaujas, the Sṛñjaya hero and a mighty chariot-warrior, charged at Suṣeṇa, the son of Karṇa, who had come before him. And Sahadeva, as though a hungry lion rushing upon a great bull, sprang upon the king of Gāndhāra (Śakuni). In the press of battle, each warrior sought out his destined foe, driven by resolve and the harsh ethics of war where courage and enmity meet face to face.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark battlefield form: warriors directly engage their principal adversaries with unwavering resolve. The lion-and-bull simile underscores controlled ferocity—courage and focus directed toward a chosen target—while reminding that war compresses ethics into duty, bravery, and accountability for one’s actions.
Two simultaneous charges are described: Uttamaujas confronts Suṣeṇa, Karṇa’s son, and Sahadeva rushes at Śakuni, the king of Gāndhāra, with the intensity of a hungry lion attacking a mighty bull. It marks a moment of targeted duels within the larger battle.