Shloka 72
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अन्योन्यं प्रतिसंरब्धा: समासाद्य परस्परम् । अहं पूर्वमहं पूर्वमिति न्यघ्नन् सहस्रश:,दोनों पक्षोंके योद्धा एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर परस्पर अत्यन्त कुपित हो “पहले मैं, पहले मैं' ऐसा कहते हुए सहस्रों सैनिकोंका वध करने लगे
anyonyam pratisaṃrabdhāḥ samāsādya parasparam | ahaṃ pūrvam ahaṃ pūrvam iti nyaghnan sahasraśaḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Arremetiendo unos contra otros con furia recíproca y cerrando filas cara a cara, comenzaron a abatir hombres por millares, cada cual gritando: «¡Yo primero—no, yo primero!». En la ceguera de la rivalidad, la batalla se volvió una contienda por la precedencia, donde la ira y el ego empujaron la matanza más allá de todo freno.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how egoistic rivalry—insisting on being “first”—can eclipse discernment and restraint, turning conflict into indiscriminate destruction. It implicitly warns that anger and pride on the battlefield (and in life) accelerate harm and weaken dharmic judgment.
Sañjaya describes the combat intensifying: warriors from both armies collide directly, enraged, and in the rush to outdo one another they kill in vast numbers, shouting that they will strike first.