Shloka 20
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — इरावान्-आवन्त्ययोः युद्धम्, घटोत्कच-भगदत्त-संघर्षः, मद्रेश्वर-विक्षेपः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Irāvān vs the Avanti princes; Ghaṭotkaca vs Bhagadatta; Śalya checked by the Mādrī twins
नैतादृशं समुद्योगं दृष्टवन्तो हि मानुषा: । ऋषयो वा महाभागा: पुराणा भुवि संजय,संजय! इस भूतलपर इतनी बड़ी सेनाका जमाव मनुष्योंने कभी नहीं देखा होगा अथवा प्राचीन महाभाग ऋषियोंने भी नहीं देखा होगा
naitādṛśaṁ samudyogaṁ dṛṣṭavanto hi mānuṣāḥ | ṛṣayo vā mahābhāgāḥ purāṇā bhuvi sañjaya |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Sañjaya, belum pernah manusia menyaksikan pengerahan perang sebesar ini. Bahkan para resi kuno yang amat beruntung di bumi pun tak pernah melihat himpunan bala tentara seperti ini.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the unprecedented magnitude of collective human action when driven by conflict, hinting at the ethical gravity of war: when society mobilizes on such a scale, the consequences exceed ordinary experience and demand heightened moral discernment about dharma and responsibility.
Sañjaya, reporting events to the blind king, emphasizes that the gathering and readiness of the armies is unlike anything seen by humans—or even remembered by ancient sages—thereby heightening the sense of impending catastrophe and the extraordinary nature of the Kurukṣetra war.