Shloka 723
कर्ण च पार्थ च विलोकयन्तः खस्था महीस्थाश्न जनावतस्थु: । परस्पर जूझते हुए उन दोनों शत्रुनाशक एवं प्रधान शूरवीर कर्ण और अर्जुनको देखकर उन्हींकी ओर दृष्टि लगाये आकाश और भूतलमें ठहरे हुए सभी दर्शक अपनी-अपनी जगह स्थिरभावसे खड़े रहे
karṇaṃ ca pārthaṃ ca vilokayantāḥ khasthā mahīsthāś ca janāvatastḥuḥ | parasparaṃ yudhyamānau tau śatru-nāśakau pradhānau śūra-vīrau karṇa-arjunau dṛṣṭvā te sarve sva-sva-sthāne sthira-bhāvena tasthuḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Al contemplar a Karṇa y a Pārtha (Arjuna) trabados en combate, todos los espectadores —los que estaban en el cielo y los que estaban en la tierra— fijaron la mirada en aquellos dos héroes supremos, destructores de enemigos. Abrumados por la gravedad del duelo, cada cual permaneció inmóvil en su lugar, como si el mundo mismo se detuviera para presenciar el choque de la destreza y el destino.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential weight of a dharma-war: when two foremost warriors meet, even the wider world becomes a witness. It suggests that great actions are not merely personal feats but events with ethical consequence, observed and judged by society and, symbolically, by the cosmos.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere as Karṇa and Arjuna fight each other. All observers—both celestial and earthly—stare fixedly at the duel and stand still in their respective places, absorbed by the intensity and significance of the confrontation.