Shloka 28
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्रतु-प्रवर्तनम् तथा पाण्डवानां निमन्त्रण-प्रतिवचनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Sacrifice Commences and the Pandavas’ Reply to the Invitation
सर्व एव तु गन्धर्वा: शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । जिघांसमाना: सहिता: कर्णमभ्यद्रवन् रणे,इसपर सभी गन्धर्व एक साथ संगठित हो कर्णको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे सौ-सौ तथा हजार-हजारका दल बाँधकर रणभूमिमें कर्णके ऊपर टूट पड़े
sarva eva tu gandharvāḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | jighāṃsamānāḥ sahitāḥ karṇam abhyadravan raṇe ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Entonces todos los Gandharvas —formados por cientos y por miles— avanzaron unidos con un solo propósito: dar muerte a Karṇa. En filas compactas se abalanzaron sobre él en el campo de batalla.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective intent and unified action can magnify violence: when many act with a single purpose—here, the desire to kill—the moral weight and consequences of conflict intensify. It also reflects the epic’s recurring warning that martial pride and enmity can draw overwhelming opposition.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Gandharvas, assembling in large numbers (hundreds and thousands), unite and charge at Karṇa in battle, explicitly aiming to kill him.