Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 1
Nakula’s Engagement with Citra-sena and Karṇa’s Sons; Śalya Re-stabilizes the Kaurava Host
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका ३ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ४५३६ “लोक हैं।) &- “&<-- ध्य £#:.१#>् नवमो<्ध्याय: उभय पक्षकी सेनाओंका घमासान युद्ध और कौरव- सेनाका पलायन संजय उवाच ततः: प्रववृते युद्ध कुरूणां भयवर्धनम् । सृञ्जयै: सह राजेन्द्र घोरं देवासुरोपमम्
sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ kurūṇāṃ bhayavardhanam | sṛñjayaiḥ saha rājendra ghoraṃ devāsuropamam ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, thereafter a dreadful battle began between the Kurus and the Sṛñjayas—one that heightened fear, and was like the terrible war of the gods and the demons.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the battle not as a mere clash of armies but as a fear-amplifying, near-cosmic confrontation (likened to deva–asura war). Ethically, it highlights how adharma-driven conflict escalates into terror and collective ruin, setting a grave tone for the events that follow.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, after the preceding developments, a fierce engagement erupts between the Kaurava forces (Kurus) and the Pāṇḍava-aligned Sṛñjayas, described as terrifying and comparable to the mythic battles of gods and demons.