Shloka 3
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
संजय उवाच शृणु राजन् यथा वृत्तं संग्रामं ब्रुवतो मम । वीराणां शत्रुभि: सार्थ देहपाप्मासुनाशनम्
sañjaya uvāca: śṛṇu rājan yathā vṛttaṃ saṅgrāmaṃ bruvato mama | vīrāṇāṃ śatrubhiḥ sārdhaṃ deha-pāpmāsu-nāśanam ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, écoute tandis que je raconte ce qui advint. Entends de ma bouche comment se déroula cette bataille—là où les héros, aux prises avec leurs ennemis, rencontrèrent la destruction du corps, du péché et du souffle de vie.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the war-report as a truthful recounting of events and highlights the grave cost of battle: it destroys the body and life, and is associated with moral peril (pāpmā). It sets an ethical tone—war is not merely heroic spectacle but a calamity with spiritual and human consequences.
Sanjaya begins his report to King Dhritarashtra, asking him to listen while he narrates how the battle occurred—specifically the deadly clash of warriors with their enemies, leading to the loss of bodies and lives.