Shloka 193
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
अभ्ययु: कौरवा राजन् पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम् । नरेश्वर! तत्पश्चात् एक साथ संगठित होकर जूझनेवाले दोनों पक्षोंके वीरोंका वह युद्ध बड़ा भयंकर हो गया। राजन! कौरव-योद्धाओंने अपनी सारी सेनाओंको एकत्र करके पाण्डव-सेनापर धावा बोल दिया
sañjaya uvāca | abhyayuḥ kauravā rājan pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm | nareśvara tatpaścāt eka-sātha-saṅghaṭitāḥ yoddhum ubhayapakṣīyā vīrāḥ samare 'tibhayānakaṃ yuddham akurvan | rājan kaurava-yoddhāḥ sarvāḥ senāḥ samāhūya pāṇḍava-senām abhyadhāvan |
Sañjaya said: O King, the Kauravas charged against the Pāṇḍavas’ army. Then, O lord of men, as the heroes of both sides closed ranks and fought together in a single mass, the battle became exceedingly dreadful. O King, the Kaurava warriors, having gathered all their forces, rushed upon the Pāṇḍava host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how collective resolve and massed aggression rapidly intensify violence: when both sides consolidate and rush in together, war becomes ‘exceedingly dreadful.’ It implicitly cautions that once conflict is embraced as a total, unified effort, ethical restraint becomes harder to maintain and destruction escalates.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kauravas, assembling all their forces, launch a charge against the Pandava army. As both sides close ranks and engage in a compact, simultaneous clash, the battle turns extremely fierce and terrifying.