Shloka 2
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
अश्वत्थाम्नस्तु यद् युद्धमर्जुनस्य च संजय । अन्येषां च महीपानां पाण्डवैस्तद् ब्रवीहि मे
aśvatthāmnas tu yad yuddham arjunasya ca sañjaya | anyeṣāṃ ca mahīpānāṃ pāṇḍavais tad bravīhi me ||
Sañjaya dit : «Raconte-moi, ô Sañjaya, le combat qui eut lieu entre Aśvatthāmā et Arjuna, ainsi que les affrontements que d’autres rois livrèrent contre les Pāṇḍavas. Décris-moi comment ces rencontres se déroulèrent.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war-reporting as a moral and strategic inquiry: the listener seeks a truthful account of key duels and broader engagements, highlighting that in epic narrative, actions in battle are evaluated through the lens of kṣatriya duty, consequence, and the larger ethical arc of the war.
Sañjaya is prompted to recount specific combats—especially the encounter between Aśvatthāmā and Arjuna—and also the battles of other kings against the Pāṇḍavas, setting up a detailed description of the day’s fighting in the Karṇa Parva.