Shloka 316
समभ्यधावंस्त्वरितास्तत्र युद्धम भून्महत् । वे अपने पैने बाणोंद्वारा उसके बहुत-से घुड़सवारोंको मारकर तुरंत ही उसकी ओर भी दौड़े। फिर तो वहाँ बड़ा भारी युद्ध होने लगा
samabhyadhāvaṁs tvaritās tatra yuddhaṁ bhūn mahat |
Sañjaya said: They rushed forward in haste, and there a great battle arose. With their sharp arrows they quickly slew many of his horsemen and then charged straight toward him; thus the encounter swelled into a fierce and weighty clash of arms.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions primarily as battlefield reportage: it highlights how haste, aggression, and tactical archery rapidly escalate a confrontation into a major engagement, underscoring the epic’s recurring theme that war expands through swift retaliatory action and mounting violence.
Sañjaya describes warriors charging quickly; they cut down many of an opponent’s mounted troops with sharp arrows and then rush directly at him, after which the fighting intensifies into a great battle at that spot.