Shloka 26
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
तेषु व्यायच्छमानेषु कुरुपाज्चालपाण्डुषु । प्रियानसून् रणे त्यक्त्वा योधा जघ्नु: परस्परम्
teṣu vyāyacchamāneṣu kurupāñcālapāṇḍuṣu | priyān asūn raṇe tyaktvā yodhā jaghnuḥ parasparam ||
जब कुरु, पांचाल और पाण्डव एक-दूसरे पर जोर से टूट पड़े, तब रणभूमि में योद्धाओं ने अपने प्रिय प्राणों तक का त्याग कर परस्पर एक-दूसरे का संहार किया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tragedy of war: once combatants commit to battle, even the most cherished value—life itself—is treated as expendable. It implicitly contrasts personal attachment with the perceived demands of kṣatriya-duty and the overpowering momentum of collective conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battle intensifying: Kurus, Pāñcālas, and Pāṇḍavas are locked in fierce engagement, and the warriors, disregarding their own lives, kill one another in close, mutual combat.